Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Dauntless
by Maileesaeya
Summary: Destiny ties three lives together in a battle against hatred. Drawn into the war, Kira Yamato, Makoto Arata and Christopher Dante must risk everything... or the world may burn. Rewrite of Gundam SEED. Please R&R. KxL FxOC OCxOC AxC MxM DxM. Part I of the Divinity Saga. Complete.
1. Mecha Info Page

**The page listing the custom mecha in this fanfic. This page will be updated on occasion, and definitely relieve an update in a chapter or two--the reason being that I removed three of the mecha profiles, which will be added later on. I don't want to give an early spoiler as to just _what_ those machines are capable of. I'll probably wait to add the profiles until the ambush at Artemis.**

**Edit: I have now added the post I promised. After some debate, I decided to keep the eight Striker packs from The Myriad. There are a few reasons for this: one, it can serve effectively as 'fleshing out the background', which can make it seem more real. After all, if you remove everything that isn't vital to a story, then the story can become bland. Second is that Kira will use each Striker at least once--with the exception of the Stealth Striker. However, you will get to see the Stealth Striker employed on Skygraspers--invisible fighter planes! Sorry, but I like the idea. Also, you can probably look forward to seeing John Alaric employ a Strike unit (not necessarily the Farsight that he did in _Gundam SEED: A Retelling_, but certainly something similar) equipped with the Stealth Striker. Not a guarantee, but there's a decent chance of it happening.**

* * *

"_The seven swords? I understand… mom, dad."_ – Makoto "Mako" Arata.

**Dauntless Gundam:  
**Description:  
The final prototype mobile suit produced for the Earth Forces by Morgenroete. The Dauntless is a close-combat model with virtually no ranged weapons to speak of. Based on a 'seven swords' philosophy, the Dauntless is armed with seven different melee weapons, including the Exia sword rifle, its primary weapon. The Dauntless also features improved versions of the Guardian's wings, increasing its mobility, speed, and allowing it to fly independently in an atmosphere. During the ZAFT raid on Heliopolis, the Dauntless falls into the hands of Coordinator civilian Makoto Arata, the child of the Morgenroete engineers primarily responsible for the design of the prototype mobile suits.

**Model Number:** GAT-X106  
**Overall Height:** 17.82 meters  
**Weight:** 71.4 tons  
**Power Plant:** Ultracompact Energy Battery  
**Special Model Features:** Phase Shift Armor, 2 Mobile Assault Wings,  
**Fixed Armament:** 2x DES-G07D+ Anti-Armor Sword, set includes long and short swords, stored on left hip, hand-carried in use; 2x Beam Saber, stored in wrist armor, hand-carried in use; 2x 105mm Machine Cannon, fire-linked, concealed in shoulders; 2x "Armor Schneider" Assault Knife, stored in hip armor, hand-carried in use; 2x "Igelstellung" 75mm Automatic Multi-Barrel CIWS, fire-linked, mounted in head; Anti-Beam Shield, mounted on left arm;  
**Optional Hand Armament:** "Exia" Sword Rifle  
**Pilot:** Makoto Arata

**Appearance:** Its appearance is a combination of the Strike and Wing Gundams—mostly the Strike, but with the Wing Gundam's head, shoulder armor, and wings.  
**Color:** The layout is the same as the Wing Gundam (except the torso, which uses the Strike's layout), but the white portions, including the wings, are changed to silver, and the blue portions, including the torso, are changed to black. Other than that, the color scheme is unchanged.

**Notes:** Originally, the Dauntless was gonna be based on the Wing Gundam, like the Guardian ended up being. But, after taking a closer look at the Exia, I pretty much fell in love with the idea. I've always favored close-range combat in Gundam, simply because ranged combat becomes bland very quickly: aim, shoot, miss, evade… you don't see the sort of fancy maneuvers that can often appear in melee combat. Guess in some ways, I also feel a lot like Treize does in Gundam Wing, though that isn't to say I don't understand the virtues of overwhelming firepower (which is why I also love the Heavyarms Kai of Endless Waltz. ^_^). The Dauntless underwent several revisions, including one where it had thirteen swords rather than seven, but I figured that would be more fitting to an upgrade unit. I gave the sword rifle the Exia's name, since that unit was the inspiration for all of it, and I'm gonna give you details that weren't listed in the main description: specifically, the Exia is equipped with its own battery, which it draws from before it draws from the Dauntless's battery. Why? Because the Exia also uses PS Armor to increase cutting power. It also generates a beam blade for fighting beam weapons, as well as an anti-beam coating. The reason it has PSA for cutting rather than the beam blade is because, while the beam blade allows for equal penetration with a likely reduced power consumption, the PSA allows for the kinetic energy of the swing to be applied—something that really can't be done as effectively with the beam blade.

* * *

"_Raven huh. Well, let's see what this thing can do."_ – Christopher "Chris" Dante

**Raven Gundam:  
**Description:  
The second machine in the Earth Alliance's prototype Gundam series, the Raven was nearly scrapped entirely, when an accident killed the initial design team and damaged the machine itself. As a result, its existence escapes ZAFT's notice, allowing it to escape capture. The Raven Gundam was the first to use an X300 series frame, and unlike the later Aegis, its mobile armor form is capable of independent atmospheric flight. In this form, it can also carry another mobile suit on its back, a feature inspired largely by ZAFT's Guuls. During the attack on Heliopolis, Johanna Dante seizes control of the Raven, but promptly puts it in the hands of her Coordinator nephew, Christopher Dante.

**Model Number:** GAT-X302  
**Overall Height:** 17.94  
**Weight:** 69.3 tons  
**Power Plant:** Ultracompact Energy Battery  
**Special Model Features:** Phase Shift Armor, Atmospheric Flight Mobile Armor Transformation  
**Fixed Armament:** Dual 52mm Hyper Velocity Shield Cannon, mounted on right arm; 2x Beam Saber, stored on hips, hand-carried in use; 2x "Igelstellung" 75mm Automatic Multi-Barrel CIWS, fire-linked, mounted in head;  
**Mobile Armor Armament:** 2x M2M3 76mm Machinegun, mounted on shoulders; 2x "Ahura Mazda" Short-Range Plasma Cannon, mounted on claws;  
**Pilot:** Christopher Dante

**Appearance:** Appearance wise, it resembles the Raider Full Spec, save it possesses the Raider's dual shield cannon and the additional thrusters on the back of the legs.  
**Colors:** Primary midnight blue with red trim. White thighs, biceps, and face.

**Notes:** Akatsuki Leader13 apparently loves the Calamity, Forbidden, and Raider, and thus ended up developing this machine for his OC, Christopher Dante. Admittedly, I got a bit more detailed (things like height and weight), but this was designed entirely by him. It certainly isn't up to the Raider's class, though, lacking a fair number of weapons (the mace/flail in particular), and it needs to be in mobile armor form to fly in an atmosphere, but its still a nice machine.

* * *

"_I don't care if you are the best ZAFT has to offer, I won't let you sink the _Archangel_!"_ – Elizabeth "Liz" Dante.

**Guardian Gundam:  
**Description:  
One of four prototype Earth Alliance mobile suits produced by Morgenroete to escape capture by ZAFT forces at Heliopolis. This winged mobile suit is designed to transform into a fighter-like mobile armor, an assault unit intended to work in tandem with the Raven's support mobile armor platform. In this form, it can fly in an atmosphere, and tear through enemies at close range with its wing beam blades, and it possesses formidable firepower in either form. Escaping capture due to its incomplete nature, the Guardian is completed after the _Archangel_'s escape from Artemis, and is immediately assigned to civilian Coordinator recruit Elizabeth Dante.

**Model Number:** GAT-X308  
**Overall Height:** 18.65 meters  
**Weight:** 62.31 tons  
**Power Plant:** Ultracompact Energy Battery  
**Special Model Features:** Phase Shift Armor, Mobile Armor Transformation, 2 Mobile Wings,  
**Fixed Armament:** 2x Beam Saber, stored on hips, hand-carried in use, sabers double as fire-linked beam guns in mobile armor mode; 2x 2-tube 127mm Grenade Launcher, mounted in forearms; 2x Beam Blade, mounted on wings; 2x "Igelstellung" 75mm Automatic Multi-Barrel CIWS, fire-linked, mounted in head; Anti-Beam Shield, mounted on left arm;  
**Optional Hand Armament:** 86mm Hyper Impulse Rifle, can mount under shield nose in mobile armor form;  
**Pilot:** Elizabeth Dante

**Appearance:** Its appearance is identical to the Zeta Gundam, but with the shield and wings of the Wing Gundam.  
**Color:** Dark purple head, torso, shoulders, forearms and shins. White biceps and thighs. Gold trim, head crest spikes and V crest.

**Notes:** Originally, this was based on the Wing Gundam, but it was so close to the original—not to mention the bird mode aspect too much like the Raven—that I ultimately decided to revise it as a combination of the Zeta and Wing/Wing Zero Gundams. The originally buster rifle-like weapon is replaced by a weaker 86mm hyper impulse rifle, which is weaker than the Agni, but about twice as powerful as a standard rifle, and can also fire spread shots. However, it does not have an independent battery. Originally, I gave it a beam sword, similar to the Zeta Gundam, but I decided to remove it, and instead I added beam blades to the wings.

* * *

"_If I have the power to make a difference, I should put it to good use, right?"_ – Kira Yamato.

**Strike Gundam:  
**Description:  
Of the ten prototype Earth Alliance mobile suits secretly developed at satellite Heliopolis, this one is perhaps the most important to escape capture by ZAFT forces. The Strike Gundam is equipped with the same Phase Shift Armor as the other GAT-X units, rendering it almost invulnerable to physical attacks, and its shield has an anti-beam coating to protect it from energy weapons. The Strike can also be adapted to a variety of combat situations by attaching different Striker packs, and since these weapon modules also contain backup energy batteries, they can be used to recharge the mobile suit itself in mid-battle. With the young Coordinator Kira Yamato at its controls, the Strike's performance far exceeds anything its designers could have expected.

**Model Number:** GAT-X105  
**Overall Height:** 17.72 meters  
**Weight:** 64.8 tons  
**Power Plant:** Ultracompact Energy Battery  
**Special Model Features:** Phase Shift Armor, Hardpoint for Mounting Striker Packs,  
**Fixed Armament:** 2x "Armor Schneider" Assault Knife, stored in hips, hand-carried in use; 2x "Igelstellung" 75mm Automatic Multi-Barrel CIWS, fire-linked, mounted in head;  
**Optional Armament:** 57mm High-Energy Beam Rifle, Anti-Beam Shield,  
**AQM/E-X01 Aile Striker Armament:** 57mm High-Energy Beam Rifle, stored on waist, hand-carried in use; 2x Beam Saber, stored on Aile pack, hand-carried in use; Anti-Beam Shield, mounted on left arm;  
**AQM/E-X02 Sword Striker Armament:** "Schwert Gewehr" 15.78m Anti-Ship Blade, stored on back, hand-carried in use; "Panzer Eisen" Rocket Anchor, mounted on shield on left forearm, can be fired out on a line; "Midas Messer" Beam Boomerang, stored on left shoulder, hand-carried in use;  
**AQM/E-X03 Launcher Striker Armament:** "Agni" 320mm Hyper Impulse Cannon, stored on back, hand-carried in use; Combo Weapons Pod (120mm Anti-Ship Vulcan Cannon, 2x 350mm Gun-Launcher), mounted on right shoulder;  
**AQM/E-X04 Gunbarrel Striker Armament:** 57mm High-Energy Beam Rifle, stored on waist, hand-carried in use; 2x Beam Saber, stored on Gunbarrel pack, hand-carried in use; 4x Wired Gunbarrel (Beam Gatling Gun, Beam Gun x2, Missile x14), mounted on Gunbarrel pack; Anti-Beam Shield, mounted on left arm;  
**AQM/E-X05 Lightning Striker Armament:** Type 70-31 Electromagnetic Cannon, mounted on forearms, hand-carried in use;  
**AQM/E-X06 Stealth Striker Armament:** 94mm Focused High-Energy Sniper Beam Rifle, stored on back, hand-carried in use; 2x 57mm High-Energy Beam Rifle, stored on hips, hand-carried in use; Mirage Colloid Stealth System Generator, mounted on back;  
**AQM/E-X07 IWSP Striker Armament:** 57mm High-Energy Beam Rifle, stored on waist, hand-carried in use; 2x 115mm Railgun, mounted on IWSP, mounted over shoulders in use; 2x 105mm Cannon, mounted on IWSP, mounted over shoulders in use; 2x 9.1m Anti-Ship Sword, mounted on IWSP, hand-carried in use; Combined Shield (30mm 6-barrel Gatling Gun, Beam Boomerang "Midas Messer"), mounted on left arm;  
**AQM/E-X08 Aqua Striker Armament:** 90mm Anti-Air Shotgun, stored on waist, hand-carried in use; 2x Heat Sword, stored on hips, hand-carried in use; 2x 250mm 6-tube Torpedo Pod, mounted on shoulders;  
**Pilot:** Kira Yamato

**Notes:** Not bothering with appearance or colors—if you don't know them, then you're probably new to SEED and should go look it up. Anyways, even though it isn't actually a custom machine, I decided it would be best to simply post the Strike in its entirety with the eight Striker packs, so that you can see them any time. Remember that the Striker pack armament replaces the "Optional Hand Armament" listing.

* * *

"_You don__'t believe me now. And if we__'re lucky, you__'ll never see it for yourself. But I can__'t be trusted by anyone. Not even myself.__"_ – Erik Saharin.

**Resolute Gundam:  
**Description:  
The Resolute Gundam is one of six prototype Earth Alliance mobile suits captured by ZAFT. Designed to serve as a companion unit to the Buster, the Resolute is packed with heavy artillery from head-to-foot. While its weapons lack the sheer punch of the Buster's rifle and gun-launcher, or of its combined weapons, the Resolute's sheer firepower more than makes up for this, and unlike the Buster, the Resolute includes a pair of fallback beam sabers for close-range combat. After its capture, this machine is assigned to ZAFT pilot Erik Saharin.

**Model Number:** GAT-X104  
**Overall Height:** 17.67 meters  
**Weight:** 82.64 tons  
**Power Plant:** Ultracompact Energy Battery  
**Special Model Features:** Phase Shift Armor, Hoverjet Leg Thrusters,  
**Fixed Armament:** 2x Beam Saber, stored in wrist armor, hand-carried in use; 2x 120mm Machine Cannon, fire-linked, mounted on shoulders; 2x 88mm Gatling Cannon, fire-linked, mounted in torso; 2x 320mm 3-tube Homing Missile Launcher, mounted in shoulders; 2x 12-tube 220mm Micro Missile Launcher, mounted on legs; 2x "Igelstellung" 75mm Automatic Multi-Barrel CIWS, fire-linked, mounted in head;  
**Optional Hand Armament:** 75mm Double Beam Gatling Gun with Shield, fire-linked, mounts over left forearm;  
**Pilot:** Erik Saharin

**Appearance:** Appearance is virtually identical to the Heavyarms Kai from the end of Gundam Wing, but with thrusters similar to the Raider's attached to the ankles.  
**Colors:** Primarily blue-green, with black joints, hands, thighs, biceps, and face.

**Notes:** I was a little uncertain of this machine, to be honest. I wanted Erik to be Makoto's 'nemesis' character, I wanted his machine to be a counterpart to hers. As a result, with Makoto's Dauntless being a close-combat machine, and the lack of artillery type units (poor little lonely Buster…), I decided to develop a machine based on the Heavyarms. Originally, I was gonna give it the weapons of the Endless Waltz version, but decided that was too much firepower for an opening Gundam, and reduced the payload to that of the series Heavyarms Kai. However, I also added in a pair of beam sabers, so that Erik could enter actual duels with Makoto, rather than the two playing cat-and-mouse trying to get to the appropriate range.

* * *

"_I have to say, I think I'm in love."_ – Saul Kessel

**Surge Gundam:  
**Description:  
The Surge Gundam is one of six prototype Earth Alliance mobile suits captured by ZAFT. Its X200-series frame is designed to support special weapons and systems, in particular the high-speed thrusters that give it theoretically unsurpassed speed. Using this speed, the Surge is intended to spearhead any and all attack formations. Unlike the other prototypes, the Surge carries only a beam rifle, with no additional beam weaponry, due to the high power consumptions of its high-speed thrusters. After its capture, this machine is assigned to ZAFT pilot Saul Kessel.

**Model Number:** GAT-X204  
**Overall Height: **18.54 meters  
**Weight:** 76.3 tons  
**Power Plant:** Ultracompact Energy Battery  
**Special Model Features:** Phase Shift Armor, High-Speed Burst Pulse Thrusters,  
**Fixed Armament:** 2x DES-G07D+ Anti-Armor Sword, set includes long and short swords, stored on left hip, hand-carried in use; "Hakenfaust" (Triple Claw) Piercer Lock, mounted on left arm, can be fired out on a line; 2x "Igelstellung" 75mm Automatic Multi-Barrel CIWS, fire-linked, mounted in head;  
**Optional Hand Armament:** 55mm High-Energy Beam Rifle  
**Pilot:** Saul Kessel

**Appearance:** The Surge resembles the Blitz, save it lacks the shield/weapon unit on the right arm of the Blitz and has additional thrusters mounted on its back.  
**Color:** Dark green with blue trim.

**Notes:** Another machine devised by Akatsuki Leader13. Apparently, he got to thinking: "we have a general-purpose MS (the Duel), a transforming command unit (the Aegis), a special weapons unit (the Blitz), a long-range artillery machine (the Buster), and a multi-role MS (the Strike). Let's add a high-speed Gundam to the mix!". Well, I certainly won't disagree. I like the concepts behind the Surge. I've always loved the super fast Gundams (Freedom and Strike Freedom's speed is awesome, and the Epyon is absolutely godly!). My hats off to Akatsuki Leader13 for this machine, my thanks go out to him... and I ask again that people take the time to read his fanfic!

* * *

"_All traitors deserve only one thing. Death."_ – Zane Scirocco

**CGUE Assault Shroud Zane Scirocco Custom:  
**Description:  
The personal machine of Zane Scirocco, Rau Le Creuset's right-hand. There is little difference between Zane's CGUE and a standard CGUE, outside of the assault shroud upgrade being permanently integrated into the machine. Originally armed with a large railgun on the right shoulder, after the capture of the Earth Forces prototype Gundams, Zane has the railgun replaced with an experimental—and still low power—thermal energy cannon based on the beam weapons of the stolen prototypes.

**Model Number:** ZGMF-515ZC  
**Overall Height:** 21.43 meters  
**Weight:** 101.78 tons  
**Power Plant:** Ultracompact Energy Battery  
**Special Model Features:** Dual Thruster Wings  
**Fixed Armament:** 124mm Directed Thermal Energy Cannon, mounted on assault shroud armor on right shoulder; 220mm Missile Pod, mounted on assault shroud armor on left shoulder; MA-M4A 10m Heavy Blade, stored on back, hand-carried in use; M7070 28mm Vulcan System Shield, mounted on left arm;  
**Optional Hand Armament:** MMI-M7S 76mm Heavy Assault Machine Gun  
**Pilot:** Zane Scirocco

**Appearance:** Standard CGUE, with the same sort of thickened extra armor as the Duel Assault Shroud, with the thermal cannon on the right shoulder looking (and working) the same as the Tallgeese's dobergun.  
**Color:** Completely blood red.

**Notes:** My take on the mobile suit of Chris's nemesis, Zane Scirocco. I figured that, with Rau Le Creuset's position in ZAFT and influence over Patrick Zala, Zane would be able to get a CGUE rather than a standard GINN. I increased the overall power and armor with the assault shroud, and replaced the original railgun with a thermal energy cannon similar to those used by the CGUE DEEP Arms, since it doesn't make sense for a solid-projectile weapon to be as effective against PSA as it was in Gundam SEED: A Retelling (though I understand why it was). Since it's an early version, Zane's cannon isn't as powerful as the one on the CGUE DEEP Arms, and its got some defects of its own as well, such as its highly experimental nature.


	2. Phase 01: False Peace

**Well, here it is, my revised version of _Gundam SEED: The Myriad_. Like that one, this first chapter is mostly just a copy of Akatsuki Leader13's _Gundam SEED: A Retelling_, but there are more differences here than in that one, with my OC more prominent than Mayu was.**

**Oh, and I'm lazy, and tired of repeatedly writing disclaimers, so I'm only gonna write the disclaimer when something new that doesn't belong to me shows up-such as when Zane or the 11th fleet show up.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED. I do not own Saul Kessel, Christopher "Chris" Dante, Elizabeth "Liz" Dante, Johanna Dante, Nick Dante, or the Surge and Raven Gundams. I do, however, own the other OCs, including Erik Saharin, and the Original Gundams Resolute, Guardian, and Dauntless.  
**

* * *

Phase One: False Peace

January 25th, C.E. 71

* * *

Heliopolis Airspace, Aboard the _Vesalius_

Saul Kessel put on his red helmet. He heard a click, signaling that the suit was sealed.

He turned to close his locker and caught his reflection in the small mirror on the locker door. Brown eyes, half obscured by messy locks of black hair. His parents always complained about his messy hair. However, he really didn't care how he looked. Another source of annoyance for his parents. But then he was always the black sheep of the family.

But most of his thoughts revolved around this mission. Orb was supposed to be neutral and yet they were apparently making new weapons for the Earth Alliance Forces. It didn't make any sense. Why were they helping the Earth Forces? By all rights, with their ideals, Orb would never interfere in anything outside their nation like this.

Yet they were. And now he and the rest of the team were suppose to attack a colony of a neutral nation and steal said weapons so they could be studied and eventually used against-

Yzak Joule shouted something at him, bringing him out of his thoughts.

"What was that Yzak?" he asked his teammate.

"Jeez! How the hell did someone like you become a redcoat?" Yzak shouted at him. "I said, hurry up and get the rest of your gear on!"

Yzak frequently asked him how someone like him became a ZAFT redcoat, as he usually didn't act like one. And it was kind of true. He tended to be rather lazy when he wasn't in a combat situation. But he was a skilled and, unlike Yzak, levelheaded pilot and probably the best hacker on the entire team.

"Yeah, yeah. Calm down Yzak," he said in a lazy tone as he put on his jetpack and his combat gear.

"It's no wonder, that with all that shouting, you're hair turned white," he added, earning chuckles from Rusty Mackenzie, Nicol Amalfi, and Dearka Elsman as they started leaving for the hanger.

Yzak scowled at him and was about to say something, when Athrun Zala intervened.

"Enough. Save your bickering until after the mission is over."

"Sorry," said Saul politely.

Yzak grunted and made his way towards hanger with the others.

"One of these days, he's gonna piss off the wrong person," Saul said to himself as he and Athrun followed the rest of the team to the hanger.

"What?" asked Athrun.

"Just talking to myself," he replied. "Good luck out there, Athrun. Let's hope this mission goes off without a hitch. There are way too many things that could go wrong."

Athrun nodded. "Same."

Saul was stopped, letting Athrun continue ahead, by a hand on his shoulder, and turned his head to face another redcoat soldier, one with dull brown eyes and reddish brown hair as messy as Saul's own. The dull eyes looked over Saul's shoulder at the back of the others.

"You're right," he said to Saul, in a dull tone to match his eyes. "But no matter how quietly, you shouldn't talk like that. You never know when the wrong person might hear." Saul nodded.

"Right, I'll remember that," he said. "I guess I do get too complacent out of battle. Thanks for the reminder, Erik."

"Not a problem," said Erik Saharin in the same tone before giving Saul a slight shove and proceeding on past him.

* * *

Heliopolis Park

Kira Yamato sighed as he typed away at his laptop. Professor Kato had given him a lot of work do, and the guy who he was supposed to be working with on this had decided about thirty minutes ago to take a break and had yet to resume working.

"You know, you could actually start working again," he said as he looked up from his work at the only other boy in the gazebo.

The other person, a Coordinator named Christopher Dante, was currently playing his guitar. Chris, as he preferred to be called, was sixteen years old and a few inches taller than Kira. He had grayish-green eyes and dark brown hair that was styled into short, slicked back spikes. He was wearing blue jeans with a simple leather belt, a black t-shirt, and a gray unzipped hoodie. A pair of dog tags hung around his neck

Kira had only known him for a couple of months. And he was actually a bit surprised when he met him. Kira had heard rumors that Chris frequently picked fights with people, leading him to believe that Chris was a violent person. Something that Kira would later learn wasn't true. Though he did get into fights, he had never seen Chris start a fight. Rather, all of the fights he did get into were in the defense of someone getting bullied by someone else or to protect himself.

"I could," replied Chris as he continued playing his guitar. "But you're so much better at this than I am."

"Shut up now Chris," said the third person in the gazebo, Makoto Arata, typing away rapidly at her own computer. Like the other two, she'd been assigned work of her own, but she was set to do it independently of them. Despite this, they'd decided to 'hang out' while they worked. "Professor Kato asked both of you to do that. Imagine what'll happen if he finds out how unreliable you are?"

"Alright, alight. Tell you what. Kira, you finish that page you're on and then I'll take over for a while and you can take a break. Deal?"

"Deal," said Kira as he resumed his work.

"Fine," said Makoto, deciding not to get on Chris's case about it.

Makoto had only recently met the two of them, and they were the only people—aside from her parents—who she actually knew on Heliopolis. She didn't count Professor Kato, since he was a teacher and the relationship was very impersonal. Nor did she count the number of admirers she'd gained in her short time living on Heliopolis. Almost two inches taller than Chris, Makoto was also athletic, as tech savvy as Kira, and beautiful enough to turn heads walking down the sidewalk, with long-flowing red hair and emerald green eyes.

Being only a recent addition to the population of Heliopolis, the question Makoto most often heard—outside of "will you go out with me?"—was where she had come from, a secret about which she was rather tightlipped, though she had admitted that she'd come to live with her parents after several years spent with relatives elsewhere. Everyone assumed it was the Orb homeland, but she'd neither confirmed nor denied it.

A moment later, a news report came on about the ZAFT invasion of Kaohsiung as Birdy landed on Chris's head.

"Tori! Tori!" chirped the mechanical bird from its new perch.

"Hey! Get off of there!" shouted Chris as he tried to brush Birdy off of his head.

Kira and Makoto chuckled at the scene as they half listened to the news report.

"Hey Kira! Chris! Makoto!" they heard their friend, Tolle Koenig, shout.

Kira and Chris turned their heads to see Tolle, his girlfriend Miriallia Haw, and Chris's younger sister, Elizabeth (also a Coordinator and one year younger than Chris). Makoto pointedly ignored them, instead increasing the pace of her typing, eyes narrowing.

The girl was anti-social, to say the least.

Elizabeth was an inch shorter the Mir and had green eyes and light brown, almost dirty blond colored, shoulder length hair. She was wearing faded blue jeans with a rip in the left knee, and a bizarre purple and black striped hoodie.

"Hey guys," said Kira as they walked up to the gazebo.

"Yo Tolle, Mir, Liz," said Chris as Birdy flew off his head and landed on Kira's shoulder.

"So this is where you three are hangin' out," said Tolle. "Professor Kato was looking for you."

"Don't tell me he's got more work us to do for him?" asked Chris in an annoyed tone as he set aside his guitar.

"I think so," said Mir. "He's asked us to bring you to him right away."

Kira sighed. "We're not even done with what he dumped on us yesterday."

"Yeah," said Chris in agreement. "Why can't the professor do some of this himself?"

"Why are you complaining? Chances are you would have had Kira do most of it anyway," said Elizabeth as she sat down next to her brother. "Makoto, aren't you even gonna say hi?"

"Hi," said Makoto dully, prompting a scowl from Liz. Though no one could quite see it, Makoto's lips quirked up in a miniscule smile.

"Well, he should give it to Kira. He's the tech savvy one," said Chris in his defense, deciding it was best to ignore the dialogue between Makoto and Liz.

Tolle and Miriallia sat down beside Kira, watching the news broadcast on Kira's laptop.

"Looks like there's heavy fighting in Taiwan now," commented Tolle as he watched the news.

"Yeah. Looks like ZAFT has its eyes on Kaohsiung and its mass driver, if they haven't already taken it over," said Chris as he started playing "Imagine" by John Lennon on his guitar.

"Taiwan. That's not far from Orb. Will the homeland be safe?" asked Mir with concern.

"Don't worry Orb is neutral. ZAFT isn't gonna attack it. And the Earth Alliance isn't gonna do anything either. At least, as long as they don't lose Panama and Victoria," answered Chris. "But even then, Eurasia will keep the Atlantic Federation and those Blue Cosmos bastards from doing something crazy."

"Yeah. I have to say we're pretty safe," said Liz in agreement with her brother. "Especially here in Heliopolis. After all, why would anyone want to attack Heliopolis? We're neutral and there's absolutely nothing here."

"Don't be so sure that we're safe," said Makoto, pausing in her typing and frowning. "We're in the middle of a war here. If Eurasia gets hit hard enough, they won't be able to stop the Atlantic Federation should Blue Cosmos persuade them to move against Orb. And if Siegel Clyne is removed from power, no one will be able to keep Patrick Zala in check." Kira stiffened slightly at the mention of his old friend's father. "_No one._ Not even his own son."

* * *

Elsewhere

The Le Creuset team silently moved through the bowels of Heliopolis, heading towards the secret hanger where a new Earth Forces warship was hidden.

Upon reaching the hanger, Athrun performed a series of hand signals, though it was unnecessary, since they already knew what they were supposed to do. They quickly and silently separated, spreading out through the hanger and began planting explosives throughout the area.

They quickly regrouped and made their way towards the interior of Heliopolis. It was time for phase two.

* * *

Aboard the _Vesalius_

Rau Le Creuset glanced at his watch and smiled. It was time. By now, his team should have successfully infiltrated Heliopolis, planted the explosives, and were ready for the second phase to begin.

"It's time," he said to Frederik Ades, the captain of the _Vesalius_.

"Weigh anchor!" ordered Ades. "_Vesalius_ launch!"

The instant the _Vesalius_ and _Gamow_ moved towards Heliopolis, alarms went off in the Heliopolis's Dock Control room, in the bridge of the recently docked Earth Forces ship and in the hanger control room of the _Archangel_.

While Heliopolis scrambled its defenses, the crew of the _Archangel _prepared it for take off if needed. Suddenly, explosions tore the through the _Archangel_ hanger, killing the crewmembers in the hanger, the entire command crew and the pilots of the G-Units.

* * *

Morgenroete Factory District

Lieutenant Murrue Ramius braced herself as tremors from an explosion shook the colony.

"What the hell? Did ZAFT fire at the colony?" shouted Nick Dante as the tremors subsided.

"I don't know! But we have to get the G-Weapons to the _Archangel_, now!" she replied to the Morgenroete crew chief.

"The Surge, the Blitz, the Buster and the Duel are all ready to go! But we need more time to prep the other six and the Striker Packs for transport!" Chief Dante replied.

Dante turned to several of Morgenroete crewmembers. "Mendez, Carter, take your crews and get those four machines out of here and to the _Archangel_!"

"Aye chief!" the two men answered.

He then turned to several other Morgenroete workers. "Jenkins, Riley, Johanna, get the rest of the crews and remaining teams and get those machines ready for transport!"

The two men nodded and quickly went about their tasks while Johanna looked at her husband with concern.

Nick put his hands on his wife's shoulders. "I know you're worried about the kids, but they're smart. They're probably already on their way to a shelter as we speak. They'll be fine. We have a job to do. We'll find them when we're finished here, I promise."

Johanna weakly nodded and joined the rest of the crews working on the remaining mobile suits.

Dante turned to Lieutenant Ramius as he drew his sidearm. "How the hell did ZAFT find out about this?"

Murrue shook her head, but as she opened her mouth to reply two more Morgenroete employees ran in, drawing her attention.

"Ichida! Naomi! What are you two doing here?" asked Dante, surprised.

Naomi shook her head while Ichida ignored Dante entirely as the two made a mad dash for the last of the prototypes.

"That machine is our daughter's brainchild. Her vision. There's no way we're gonna sit idle while ZAFT tries to destroy it," said Naomi.

* * *

Professor Kato's Lab

Tremors shook the lab, sending various pieces of equipment falling to the ground.

_What was that?_ thought Chris as steadied himself by grabbing the edge of the desk that he, Kira, and Sai were at.

Once the tremors died down, he called out "Is everyone alright?"

"I'm okay," answered Mir.

"Same," said Liz.

"I'm fine," said Tolle.

The blond haired guy that was waiting for the Professor, nodded.

"I wouldn't be standing if I weren't," said Makoto mildly, staring at the ceiling with narrowed eyes. The girl had had practically ignored the tremors.

"Did a meteor hit the colony?" asked Sai.

"I doubt it," said Makoto. "We'd probably already know if one did."

"I agree with Makoto," said Liz. "But we should get to the shelters just in case."

"I have to agree with Liz," said Chris. "We don't know what's going on. The smartest thing to do is to get to the shelters."

* * *

Elsewhere

"That's it," said Yzak smugly as he looked through his binoculars. "Just like Commander Le Creuset told us."

"What? That if we prod them enough, that they'd come out of their hole?" replied Dearka.

"Of course," said Yzak in a cocky tone. "After all, the Naturals are stupid and pathetic."

Saul shook his head at Yzak's comment. "Don't underestimate your enemies Yzak. That will get you killed. And remember, the Naturals were the ones to create us."

"Natural lover," Yzak shot back.

"I don't love Naturals," he replied. "Nor do I hate them. They're simply people, just like us. But that's enough of the philosophical debate. We still have a job to do. Miguel and Matthew will soon be here."

A moment later, two GINNs appeared over the nearby Morgenroete factory district and opened fire, destroying many of the military vehicles that were escorting the mobile suits.

They activated their jetpacks, flying towards four of the seven machines while the GINNs systematically destroyed the remaining escort vehicles.

"Destroy the parts we can't carry and the factories," ordered Yzak over the comm. "According to the intel, there should be seven machines."

"There's four here which means the other three must still be in the factory," said Saul over the comm… as he opened fire on the guards below.

"Erik, Rusty and I will continue on to the factory," said Athrun. "Yzak, you guys take these four."

"Alright," replied Yzak before turning to the rest of the team. "Listen up, those who take one of those machines, disable the self-destruct first."

Saul, Yzak, Nicol, Dearka and half of the ZAFT soldiers landed near the transport vehicle of the first machine and quickly wiped out the guards closest to it.

"I got this one!" shouted Saul as he climbed into an open side hatch on vehicle. "You guys get the other three!"

_Let's see what Orb and the Earth Forces have come up with._

* * *

Elsewhere

More tremors shook the building as the students from Professor Kato's lab reached the elevators and stairwell.

"What is going on here?" asked Chris, to no one in particular.

"Let's worry about getting out of here first, then we worry about that," said Sai as he pushed the elevator call button.

The second he did, the power failed.

"Well, it looks like we're taking the stairs," said Tolle as he opened the door to the stairwell.

There, other people were climbing the stairs towards the surface and shelter pods.

"Hey! Do you guys know what's going on?" Tolle asked them.

"I heard we're under attack by ZAFT," one man said.

"Yeah, there's mobile suits inside the colony," said another.

"What?" shouted Chris disbelief. "Why the hell is ZAFT attacking us?"

"Damn it," muttered Makoto, hand clenching into a fist. _Is this Zala's work?_

Suddenly, the blond haired guy that had been waiting for Professor Kato, took off down a hallway.

"Wait! Come back!" shouted Kira as he chased after the guy.

"Kira!" Tolle shouted after his friend.

"I'll go after them, you guys head to the shelters. We'll meet you there," said Chris as he took off after the two of them before anyone could object.

"Argh, idiot!" said Makoto, following after Chris, Liz close on her tail. She glanced back. "Okay, I get it, he's your brother, right?"

"Yeah," said Liz.

It didn't take Chris long to catch up with Kira and the blonde, Makoto and Chris right on his heels by this point. Unfortunately, the second they did catch up with them, part of the hallway behind them collapsed, sending them stumbling to hands and knees.

"You're a girl!" they heard Kira exclaim.

Chris looked up to see that person he thought was a guy was indeed a girl.

"Yeah. What'd you think I was?" she asked rudely. Makoto and Liz—who had both realized the blonde was a girl from the beginning—were thinking along the same lines.

"I...ah...just thought that-" said Kira in his defense, looking embarrassed.

A tremor shook the building, interrupting him.

"I think we should get out of here, now," said Chris as he picked himself up.

I agree," said the girl. "You four go back. I need to check on something. By myself."

"Are you kidding? The entire hallway has completely collapsed. We can't go back that way," said Chris.

"Yeah, there's no way for us to go back now," said Kira. "But there should be more shelters in the factory district. C'mon!"

* * *

Morgenroete Factory District

Athrun, Rusty, Erik, and the ZAFT soldiers with them, were near the hanger of the three remaining Earth Forces machines. They had for the most part, avoided combat, thanks in part to the distraction caused by Miguel and Matthew in their GINNs.

They had quietly moved around to one of the smaller side entrances of the now heavily guarded warehouse.

Athrun slowly cracked open one of the side doors and he and Rusty tossed in grenades. A few seconds later, there was a pair of explosions.

"Go go go!" he ordered to the rest of the team.

They charged into the warehouse, guns blazing.

* * *

Elsewhere

Saul sighed as finished rewriting the machine's OS. He couldn't help but wonder about this rather crappy OS. You'd think that Orb and the Earth Forces would have been able to come up with a proper OS for these things.

"Well, I'm done," he said over the comm. "How are you guys coming?"

"_What? Already? How the hell can such a lazy ass like you be done so fast?_" shouted Yzak in disbelief.

Dearka chuckled. "_Figures you're the first one done._"

"_You always were the fastest at this kinda thing,_" said Nicol.

"What can I say, I know the language of computers," he replied. "You guys better hurry up."

Of course, Saul knew it was gonna take them a few more minutes before they were done. The only reason he was done so fast was that he was gifted when it came to computers.

He decided to pass the time while he waited for the others to finish by looking over the specs of this machine.

_The GAT-X204 Surge. Hmm… Phase Shift Armor. That sounds impressive. Let's see what this thing's got for weapons. Wow! I'm starting to like this thing. I hope I get to use this baby after the mission is done._

* * *

Morgenroete Factory District

Athrun fired off a burst of rounds at an armed Morenroete employee. The man fell to the ground.

"Hey Athrun! We got a problem here!" shouted Rusty. "Someone screwed up! There are _six_ machines here!"

"What?"

"Take a look."

Athrun took a glance at the Earth Forces mobile suits. With all the fighting, he hadn't really paid any attention to them. But now he realized that someone had made a major mistake. There were six prototypes in the warehouse. Meaning that there were ten machines, not seven like their intel had said.

_How could our intel be that off?_

"We have to destroy those machines!" he ordered. "Someone has to get into them and activate the self-destruct!"

* * *

When Makoto—who had taken the lead—reached the factory district with the others, they found a war zone. Armed Morgenroete employees and Heliopolis security forces were fighting off ZAFT soldiers around six mobile suits.

The mobile suits were unlike anything they had seen before. ZAFT's mobile suits tended to be bulky and simple looking things while these ones were slimmer and more elegant. They reminded Chris of a sci-fi version of ancient samurai warriors.

"Father, I knew you betrayed us all!" the girl shouted, bringing Chris from his thoughts.

Suddenly, an armed, female Morgenroete employee spun around and aimed her rifle at them.

"C'mon!" shouted Kira as he grabbed both Chris's and the girl's arms and started running, Liz following after. "We have to get out of here!"

Makoto, however, didn't move.

"Makoto, what are you doing?" demanded Chris, looking back. Makoto looked up at Chris, shock in her eyes, before the girl did perhaps the stupidest thing Chris had ever seen: she jumped down into the warzone.

The others quickly reached the nearest shelters. Two of them were full, but the third had a green light over the door, signaling that there was still room in that shelter.

Kira pushed the call button and a voice came over the intercom.

"_Is there someone out there?_" the voice asked.

"Yes. My friends and I need to get in. Please open the door," said Kira.

"_Friends? As in more than one?_"

"Yes."

"_Sorry but we're full to capacity as it is. Try the shelters in the left block._"

"There are two girls with us," said Chris. "At least take them."

The man sighed and said, "_Okay, but we can only take one of them._"

The door opened and Chris and Kira looked at each other. Chris wanted to push Liz in, while Kira was torn.

Liz made the decision for them, grabbing the other girl and shoving her in.

"Hey! What are you doing? Let me-" the rest of her cries were silenced when the door closed, sealing the shelter.

"Come on you two, let's get going!" said Liz, grabbing the two and running off.

* * *

Warehouse

When Makoto landed next to a surprised—and surprisingly sneaky—ZAFT soldier who had managed to sneak around to flank the defenders, she promptly delivered a painful kick to the man's groin. The redhead had no sympathy—her training didn't allow for it.

Running towards the particular machine that had caught her eye and prompted her insane stunt, Makoto leapt up onto the trailer, and continued up onto the mobile suit itself.

The instant she arrived, her eyes widened in horror as a Morgenroete employee was pumped full of bullets.

"DAD!" screamed Makoto, drawing the attention of Naomi Arata and the ZAFT soldier who had shot Ichida.

"Makoto, what are you doing here?" demanded Naomi, before her eyes widened and she threw herself back from the burst of bullets the soldier had sent her way.

Growling angrily, Makoto got up and dashed towards the soldier, who stared incredulously at her for a moment before bringing his assault rifle to bear.

By that point, Makoto had already grabbed her father's dropped gun and sent it careening through the air, knocking the rifle off-target, and promptly kicked the weapon from his hands.

The soldier—an elite ZAFT red who she could now see had reddish brown hair and dull brown eyes—grit his teeth and pulled out a knife. Makoto assumed a martial arts stance she'd learned while away from Heliopolis.

Meanwhile, on the catwalk from which Makoto had come, Kira, Chris, and Liz ran back into the warehouse. They were halfway across the catwalks when they spotted a ZAFT sniper on another catwalk, aiming at that woman from earlier.

"Look out! Behind you!" shouted Kira.

The woman spun around and fired at the sniper, killing him.

"CHRIS! LIZ! KIRA! What the hell are you three doing here?" the voice of Chris's aunt, Johanna, called out from on top of one of the mobile suits.

"Long story! Don't worry about us! We're heading to the shelters in the left block!" shouted Chris back to his aunt.

An instant later, there was an explosion coming from the left block.

"All of you! Get down here now!" ordered the woman they had saved.

"Doesn't look like we have much of a choice," said Chris. "Now the question is, how are we gonna get down there?"

"I got an idea," replied Kira before he leapt over the railing and onto the middle-left mobile suit that the woman was on.

"I know I'm gonna regret this," said Chris before jumping off the other side of the catwalk and onto the machine his aunt was on.

Liz scanned the area, and spotted her uncle on a suit next to the one Johanna was on, promptly jumping down from the catwalk onto that one.

Chris landed on his target machine's left shoulder. A little sore but otherwise all right.

"What's going here? Why is ZAFT attacking us?" he shouted as his aunt fired off rounds from a pistol at a ZAFT soldier.

"Long story! Basically, ZAFT wants the machines we've been building!" Johanna replied as she fired the last rounds in her handgun, killing the soldier.

"Isn't that a treaty violation?"

Johanna was about to reply when an explosion tore through a part of the warehouse. Flames quickly spread across the warehouse.

"Damn! This place isn't gonna last much longer!" she said. "Get in the mobile suit! We need to get out of here!"

Chris nodded. The whole warehouse was going up in flames. He quickly scrambled into the cockpit, followed by his aunt.

As Liz landed on the mobile suit her uncle was on, Nick got hit by a burst of fully automatic fire from a ZAFT soldier, though his return fire killed the soldier.

"Uncle Nick!" cried Liz, running over to him. Nick, blood running from his mouth as he lay dying on the machine, reached up and grabbed Liz's shoulder.

"Get… this machine out of here Liz," he choked out through the blood. Tears ran down Liz's face. "Don't let ZAFT have it…" Nick's hand released Liz's shoulder, and his arm fell to the ground limp as his eyes closed.

Tears still running down her face, Liz did as she was told, and jumped into the mobile suit's cockpit.

On the machine Kira had landed on, he and a ZAFT red stared at each other in shock.

"Athrun?" breathed Kira.

"Kira?" asked Athrun, incredulous. Athrun's stance slacked, and Kira stood up, putting his eye level almost even with the blue-haired soldier across from him. The brunette woman lifted her gun, aiming it at Athrun, who jumped back, evading the two haphazard shots. The woman stood up and knocked Kira into the cockpit of the mobile suit before dropping herself in.

Makoto deftly evaded the knife as it was swung through the air. The ZAFT red may have been a professional soldier, despite his young age, but Makoto was a black belt in a very rare form of martial arts. The redhead delivered a vicious kick to the soldier's hand, knocking the knife into the air, and then delivered a punch to his gut, sending him tumbling backwards away from the machine.

"Erik, we have to get out of here now! Forget the remaining machines!" shouted another soldier. The ZAFT red, Erik, stood up, threw a glare her way, and rushed back. Ignoring him, Makoto ran to her mother… who, to her horror, was covered in her own blood.

"Mom!" cried Makoto, running to the woman's side. Naomi looked up at her and smiled weakly.

"Mako-chan," she choked. "Get it out of here… don't let anyone else have Dauntless… Ichida and I made it… for you…" Naomi hacked up blood.

"Mom, don't talk, you'll be okay," said Makoto desperately through the tears on her face and in her voice. Naomi simply smiled, a little stronger.

"I'm fortunate… to have been your mother," she said. "Makoto… I love yo…" Naomi's voice trailed off, and Makoto felt the body of her mother go limp.

"Argh!" cried Makoto. Explosions tore through the factory, and the redhead kissed her mother before running to the cockpit of the mobile suit.

A massive explosion tore through the warehouse as the GAT-X303 Aegis, the GAT-X308 Guardian, the GAT-X302 Raven, the GAT-X104 Resolute, the GAT-X105 Strike, and the GAT-X106 Dauntless broke through their cradles and stood up.

* * *

**Author's Note: So, what did you think? ZAFT's intel was way off, huh? There is reasoning behind this! They were unaware of the Guardian, Raven, and Dauntless. The reason is different for each: the Raven had its construction delayed, and nearly scrapped altogether, so ZAFT thought it was aborted. The Guardian's construction fell behind the others (much like Durandal claims the Saviour's did in GSD, though personally I think that was intentional and he wanted the theft to happen). And the Dauntless was, like the Raven, nearly "scrapped", though in this case, it was because it was one of two proposed for the tenth model (if you want, think that the alternative was based on the Mercurius from GW), and Makoto's parents only just managed to get the Dauntless's design through at the last minute.**

**Also, people are probably surprised by Liz piloting a Gundam. Originally, I was gonna simply have the Guardian destroyed, but I ultimately decided it would be fun to put Liz in it. Unfortunately, there's a nasty surprise waiting in there for her at this point in the game...**

**What most of you probably did _not_ notice was that Kuzzey was removed from those scenes. The reason is because, overall, Kuzzey was a useless character, who mostly just ended up being the one to tell Flay about Kira (and Chris, Makoto, and Liz) being a Coordinator, and reporting to the others about Athrun**—**all of which really isn't necessary. Instead, Kuzzey's role as communications officer will be filled by Flay (just like when she was on the _Dominion_), that way she can actually _do_ something! Kuzzey left shortly after Flay did anyway, so it doesn't really hurt all that much.  
**

**Well, I hope everyone enjoyed that, and I hope everyone likes Makoto! There's a lot more about her that has yet to be revealed, so keep an eye out for it!**


	3. Phase 02: Its Names is Gundam

**Don't expect updates to come this fast in the future. For the first two chapters, I was able to simply edit the chapters from _Gundam SEED: A Retelling_/_Gundam SEED: The Myriad_. I might be able to do that partially if future chapters, but probably not much more.**

**I also did what I could to make the opening battle flow smoothly, so let me know what you think.  
**

* * *

Phase Two: Its Name is Gundam

January 25th, C.E. 71

* * *

Heliopolis, Morgenroete Factory District

As the flames consumed the warehouse, a half-dozen mobile suits shot out from the ruined building. Their movements were erratic, at best. Two of them were slow and shaky, like trainees piloting a mobile suit for the first time were operating the machines. Three of them landed fairly smoothly, though they effectively stood their ground after doing so.

The sixth landed, seemingly smooth… then tumbled off-balance and collapsed to the ground.

"What the hell?" muttered Liz, voice still cracking slightly from the death of her uncle. She glanced over the readouts… and realized that several of the control components of the mobile suit, Guardian, were incomplete, and the battery was extremely low capacity as well.

The Aegis and Resolute pulled away from the other machines as a pair of GINNs landed nearby the six prototypes.

Chris watched his aunt struggle to operate the mobile suit. Though he knew they were still in danger, he couldn't help but feel concerned about Kira, Liz and the others.

"Damn. They still haven't perfected the OS yet. How did they ever expect this thing to be combat ready with this OS?" said Johanna in frustration.

Chris couldn't help but agree with her. The operating system was clearly of an inferior design. Which was very bad for them, if those GINNs decided to attack.

* * *

Makoto was silent as she rapidly typed away at the keyboard in the cockpit of her commandeered mobile suit. She'd seen the mess the OS was in, and had immediately begun rewriting it. Two of the six machines were occupied by ZAFT soldiers… and her typing had become even more frantic as she saw two GINNs land nearby.

The two GINNs began moving to attack the two stumbling machines.

Suddenly, a woman's voice came over the radio. "_Pilot of the Raven, identify yourself._"

"_This is Johanna Dante of Morgenroete,_" came the reply. "_Lieutenant Ramius, is that you?_"

"_Yes,_" answered Ramius. "_It's good to see that you managed to survive and get that machine out of there._"

"_Is Kira with you?_" she asked.

"_The boy? Yes, he's here._"

Makoto sighed in relief, knowing that Kira was safe.

"_Pilot of the Guardian, identity yourself,_" came Ramius's voice again.

"_Um… this is Liz Dante,_" came the voice of Chris's sister. Shocked, Makoto stopped typing for a moment. "_I'm Johanna Dante's niece._"

* * *

"This is Johanna Dante of Morgenroete. Lieutenant Ramius, is that you?"

"_Yes,_" answered Ramius. "_It's good to see that you managed to survive and get that machine out of there._"

"Is Kira with you?" she asked.

"_The boy? Yes, he's here._"

_Thank god_, Chris thought to himself.

He had lost enough friends because of this war.

"_Pilot of the Guardian, identity yourself,_" came Ramius's voice again.

"_Um… this is Liz Dante,_" came the voice of Chris's sister. "_I'm Johanna Dante's niece._"

"What?!" exclaimed Johanna. "Liz, what are you doing in there? Where's Nick?"

What sounded like a choked sob was the first reply, and Chris felt his heart freeze.

"_He's… dead,_" came the choked reply. Shocked, Johanna's control on the mobile suit slackened, and the GINN attacking them landed a hit near the foot of the machine, sending it tumbling off-balance.

"_Damn it,_" said Ramius.

"No," whispered Johanna. She blinked back tears, and shook her head, getting herself back under control. "Listen to me Lieutenant Ramius, the OS still isn't ready for a Natural like you or myself to pilot. Allow Kira to pilot the machine."

"_What?!_" both he and Ramius said in disbelief.

"Kira's a Coordinator, just like my nephew. They should be able to better handle these machines than we can at the moment."

"_What?!_" he said again.

"_I can not allow a civilian to pilot a top secret machine,_" said Ramius.

* * *

"_I can not allow a civilian to pilot a top secret machine,_" said Ramius.

"You already are," said Makoto over the radio. She heard gasps of shock, and tightened her grip on the controls. "Would you rather ZAFT capture or destroy them?" Seeing the two stolen machines moving towards the downed one, the Guardian, that Liz was in, Makoto punched the controls forward, sending her machine forward to tackle the taller—and seemingly less heavily armed—of the machines aside.

Makoto stood her machine, OS fully reprogrammed, if a little haphazardly, in front of the Guardian. It was somewhat ironic—that she would be playing sentinel to the machine known as Guardian.

* * *

Suddenly, the two GINNs holstered their rifles, pulled out their swords and started running as the Aegis and Resolute faced down Makoto's machine.

Johanna quickly pushed a button on the console, activating the Raven's Phase Shift armor. Its dull gray body turned to midnight blue with red trim. One of the GINNs raised its sword over its head. She barely managed to raise the Raven's shield cannon to block the sword strike and push back the GINN.

"Damn it," Johanna cursed. "We don't have much time Murrue. It's the only way to save these two machines."

Johanna then moved out of the seat and said in voice that allowed for no argument, "Get in."

Chris quickly sat and began to experiment with the controls, all the while thinking,_ what the hell am I doing in this thing?_

* * *

"Okay, weapons…" muttered Makoto, continuing to type away and refine the OS. The Aegis and Resolute hadn't moved against her just yet, but they had both activated their PS Armor, turning the Aegis a brilliant red, and the Resolute blue-green. Out of the corner of her eye, Makoto saw the Strike turn white, blue, and red, while the Raven turned midnight blue.

Activating her own Phase Shift Armor, Makoto idly noted the readouts indicating her machine had turned silver, black, and red in the same patterns as the Strike.

Bringing up the offensive systems, Makoto noted the name—Dauntless, just like her mother had said—and wondered at the meaning.

A meaning she understood the second she saw the offensive systems listing.

_Only the dauntless heart can use these arts effectively._

"The Seven Swords?" breathed Makoto.

_"Ichida and I made it… for you…"_

"I understand mom, dad," said Makoto. Eyes shining with angry determination, she reached back and grabbed the large sword stored on the back of the Dauntless.

* * *

"Move aside already!" said Kira angrily. Ramius's stubborn refusal to let him take over had nearly gotten his friends killed.

Relenting, Ramius did so, and Kira took the pilot seat. He pulled out the keyboard and begin typing away at lightning speed, one eye on the GINN as it stood up and readied for another attack. He wasn't too worried about Chris and Johanna—if the machine they were in has the same sort of armor as the one he was in, they'd be fine.

As the GINN approached, Kira finished his first set of calibrations, and fired the head vulcans at the GINN, causing it to stumble as it stabbed forward. Kira deftly evaded, and punched the GINN in the face.

"Take the calibrations and reset the zero moment point and CPG," muttered Kira to himself, still with an eye on the GINN, but otherwise ignoring the machine entirely. _Connect control module to quasi-cortex molecular ion pump. Rebuild neural linkage network, update metamotor cortex parameters. Restart feet forward control, transfer fuctions, correct for corrial asteviation, online._

The GINN stood up and fired at Kira with his rifle, shaking the mobile suit. Gripping the controls, Kira rocketed the prototype into the air, evading further fire.

"Weapons…" muttered Kira, typing at the keyboard. The offensive system screen came up, listing two head-mounted 75mm vulcan guns, and two hip-concealed assault knives as the only weapons it currently had.

"Armor Schneider?" questioned Kira incredulously. "That's all there is?!"

Left with no other choice, Kira sprung the assault knives, grabbed hold of them, and closed on the GINN, which began to fire wildly.

"No, don't do it here!" cried Kira. "Stop it!" Kira ducked under fire from the GINN's machine gun, and stabbed forward with both knives into the GINN's neck, watching with some satisfaction as the GINN went limp.

* * *

"You're probably gonna have to rewrite the OS to better accommodate a Coordinator like yourself," said Johanna.

"Oh great," Chris mumbled to himself as he began rewrite the system.

But the GINN wasn't about the time to do it. It lunged at him with its sword. Chris barely sidestepped the attack.

"Damn it. I need more time," he said as he continued to type away while keeping an eye on the GINN.

The GINN swung its sword again and again at him. But each time, he dodged the blows. And Chris noted that the machine's movements as well as his own reactions were becoming quicker and smoother. The mobile suit's movements weren't perfect but definitely better than they was earlier. The pilot of the GINN was clearly getting angry as his swings were getting wilder and wilder, making it easier for Chris to avoid the attacks and rewrite the OS.

"This will have to do for now," he said to himself as he finished his typing.

He hadn't completely rewritten the OS, but he didn't have the time to do that while dodging attacks. But it was enough for him to properly pilot the machine without too much difficultly.

The GINN swung its sword in a downward arc. He sidestepped it and punched the GINN's head, sending it falling to the ground.

Chris took this momentary stop in the fighting to check on the machine's computer for its weapons.

_Let's see...Igelstellung 75mm anti-air vulcan guns, beam sabers, and a dual 52mm hyper velocity shield cannon. Hmm… Mobile Armor Mode? I don't think I'll be trying that one today._

The GINN quickly got back onto its feet. He could imagine that the ZAFT pilot was getting pretty pissed by now. The GINN charged at him, its sword pulled back. The GINN pilot clearly wanted to destroy him and this mobile suit.

_Well, let's try the Igelstellungs._

Chris squeezed the trigger and the two head mounted Igelstellungs fired. The rounds did nothing to the GINN's armor but they did catch the pilot off guard and he stopped his charge.

The GINN sheathed its sword, drew its rifle and fired. Rounds struck the mobile suit, violently shaking it but the armor held.

_Wow. This thing's armor must be quite strong if it can take bullets from a mobile suit rifle without any real damage. Let's see what this thing can do._

He raised the machine's right arm, with its arm mounted cannon and fired. A pair of high-speed projectiles streaked towards the GINN.

Unfortunately, the cannon's calibration was off. The first shot missed entirely, while the second shot severed the GINN's right arm at the elbow. The GINN staggered back a few steps and took off into the air, fleeing Heliopolis.

Suddenly, there was a loud, nearby explosion. Chris looked around and spotted the Strike stumbling backwards from an explosion.

"KIRA!" he shouted.

To his relief, the Strike stayed standing and appeared to be relatively undamaged. The only sign of the other GINN was flaming wreckage strewn around the ground.

* * *

"I won't let you hurt her," said Makoto as the Dauntless blazed forward. The Exia sword swung through the air as the redhead evaded the poorly aimed Igelstellungs of the Resolute. Probably still off on the calibrations, just as the Dauntless's Igelstellungs had been.

The Resolute brought its shield up to block, but the speed of the Dauntless's movements caused it to end up cutting through the gatling barrels on the Resolute's shield rather than hitting the shield itself. The mobile suit hopped back as Makoto put the Dauntless into the closest imitation of her own martial arts stance as she could manage, the Dauntless's eyes flashing sapphire blue.

* * *

In the Resolute, Erik suppressed a groan as he saw the movements of the silver machine. That stance was distinctly familiar, haphazard though it may be.

"Athrun, I think we should retreat," said Erik, glancing at Miguel and Matthew's GINNs—which were losing the fight with the other two machines. "If we don't, we'll just end up losing the two we've got now anyways."

"_Agreed,_" said Athrun. With that, both the Aegis and the Resolute jumped up from the ground, as Matthew's GINN lost an arm to the Raven.

* * *

"Lieutenant Ramius, Kira, are you two alright?" asked Johanna over the comm.

"_I'm fine,_" said Kira. "_But that woman's injured and unconscious._"

"Okay," she said. "Liz? And, uh…"

"_Makoto,_" came the voice of the Dauntless pilot.

"… Makoto, are you two alright?"

"_Yeah, I'm fine, thanks to Makoto,_" said Liz.

"_No problems on my end, physically anyways,_" said Makoto. "_The other two retreated as well._"

"Good," said Johanna. "There's a park not far from here. We'll go there and regroup. Got it?"

"_Got it,_" came the trio of replies in near unison.

Johanna then put her hand on Chris's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Huh?"

For the first time, he realized that he was breathing heavily, sweating buckets and he had a death grip on the controls. He felt a little light-headed and scared but at the same time, he had this lingering sense of excitement, like he had just gotten off an intense amusement park ride. He let go of the controls and watched his hands slightly tremble for a moment.

He couldn't help but wonder how they had survived that battle. This was his first time in a mobile suit and yet he had managed to beat a trained ZAFT pilot while rewriting part of the OS.

His hand reached up and wrapped a hand around his grandfather's dog tags. His grandfather had always said that these dog tags were lucky and would protect the wearer. Before, he had passed it off as has his grandfather being superstitious. Now, he wasn't so sure.

He nodded. "I'll be alright." He paused for a moment. "Hey, what's this machine's name?"

"It's the GAT-X302 Raven," Johanna answered. "The machine that Kira is in is the GAT-X105 Strike. Liz is in the GAT-X308 Guardian. And Makoto's is the GAT-X106 Dauntless."

"The Raven huh? So you made this thing?"

"Yes. But at the moment, I can't tell you much else. This is all supposed to be top secret."

"Okay," said Chris.

He gripped the controls again and moved the machine towards the park with the Strike, as the Dauntless picked up the unmoving Guardian.

When they reached the park, the Dauntless gently moved the Guardian—when some help from the little bit of control Liz had—into a kneeling position, before kneeling down alongside both the Strike and the Raven, the three machines deactivating their Phase Shift armor, and the four cockpits opened up. At the same time—much to the surprise of everyone but Kira—Tolle, Sai, and Miriallia arrived.

"What are you guys doing here?!" shouted Chris as he and Johanna climbed out of the Raven while Kira climbed out of the Strike, Liz climbed out of the Guardian, and Makoto climbed out of the Dauntless. "You're supposed to be in the shelters!"

"Sorry guys," said Mir. "But when we got outside, we kinda ended up in the middle of a battle between you and those GINNs."

"You guys were amazing! And those machines were awesome!" shouted Tolle like a kid in a candy store. "Where'd those machines come from? And-"

"Can we save the questions for later?" interrupted Johanna. "There's an injured person in the cockpit of the Strike and I'm gonna need some help carrying her out of the cockpit."

"What do you want us to do?" asked Kira.

"Kira, you, Tolle, and Sai, will help me get her out of the cockpit. Chris, I want you to get back in the Raven and finish rewriting the OS. Makoto, right? Do the same with the Dauntless. ZAFT may have left, but it's likely that they'll be back and you two and Kira are the only ones who can pilot these machines. And once we get Lieutenant Ramius out of the cockpit, Kira, I want you to do the same for the Strike."

"Actually, I finished rewriting the OS already," said Kira, scratching the back of his head almost sheepishly.

"Same here," said Makoto.

"What? Wow. That's amazing. I knew you Coordinators had impressive abilities but...wow," said Johanna in amazement.

"What about the rest of us?" asked Mir.

"Just stay out of the way for now," said Johanna. "Okay, let's get to it."

Chris climbed back into the Raven's cockpit while Kira and the others went about their tasks.

Chris sighed as he sat down and pulled out the keyboard. He knew Kira was good at computers but the fact that he had completely rewritten the Strike's OS while under attack no less was unbelievable. He doubted that most Coordinators could do that. Makoto was a bit more understandable, since she hadn't been under attack. Well, not really, more like a drawn out standoff.

He resumed rewriting the OS. He had to admit, this machine was impressive. And he was kind of curious about the full extent of the Raven's abilities. He almost wished that ZAFT would launch another attack just so he could see its abilities.

Keyword there being 'almost'. If ZAFT did attack again, it would only endanger Heliopolis and its people.

A short while later, Johanna climbed into the Raven's cockpit.

"How's it coming?" she asked.

"Almost done," he replied. "How's the Lieutenant?"

"We treated her wound as best as we could. She's still unconscious though."

"So what now?" he asked.

"Well, the Guardian isn't completed yet, and the Strike and Dauntless are low on power from their battles, so I'm gonna go see if I can find a transport truck with one of the Striker Packs for the Strike."

"Striker Packs?"

"Basically, armament and a battery recharge for the Strike," explained Johanna. "Unlike the Raven, the Strike has few built-in weapons. Instead, it can be equipped with various different weapon packs, allowing the machine to serve multiple roles on a battlefield. The Raven on the other hand was designed primarily for space and atmospheric combat."

"Wow. That sounds quite impressive."

"Yes, the Strike is easily the most impressive and powerful of the prototypes we made. But I always preferred the Raven, the Guardian, and the Aegis."

"The Aegis?"

"That was the red machine from the warehouse."

"Oh. What's so special about this machine and those two?"

A grin spread across Johanna's lips. "They can all transform into mobile armors. When I was a child, I always loved the idea of a transforming robot. In fact, that's one of the reasons I fought to save the Raven from being scrapped after the accident."

"There was an accident?"

"Yes. Early in the construction of the Raven, there was an accident. Half of the crews working on it had died or were seriously injured. Afterwards, the higher-ups wanted to scrap the Raven and focus on the other units. Myself and some of the others that had been working on these machines had decided that we shouldn't discard the Raven just because of the accident. We argued that the Raven had for the most part, survived the accident and could be salvaged and that by abandoning it, all those who died would have died in vain. Eventually, they agreed to allow us to finish it."

"Ah," said Chris. "Hey, there is one thing that's been bothering me about all this."

"What?" she asked.

"Why did ZAFT attack us? Orb is neutral. Even if it was developing new weapons, that still isn't a reason to violate the treaty and attack Heliopolis."

"We violated the treaty," she said.

Chris instantly stopped typing. "What?!"

"We worked on these machines with the Earth Forces. That injured lieutenant is an Earth Forces officer."

"Why would the Orb government do that? They wanted to stay out of war."

Johanna shrugged. "Don't ask me. I'm not a politician, I just build these things."

Chris had never met the Lion of Orb, but his grandfather had on several occasions and always spoke highly of him. Athha had always spoken of maintaining Orb's neutrality, yet if he authorized building these mobile suits with the Earth Forces, than how could Orb stay neutral? What reason did he have for violating the treaty like that?

"Well, I'm going now. I'll be back in a little while," said Johanna as she climbed out of the cockpit. "Let's hope that ZAFT has decided to leave rather than risk further damage to the colony by trying to capture these four machines."

He resumed his typing. He wondered what would happen now. These machines were clearly top secret and he doubted that the authorities would just let all of them walk away after seeing these things, and in the case of Kira, Makoto, himself, and to a lesser extent, Liz, pilot these mobile suits. Though his aunt did work for Morgenroete, so that may help them out a little bit. Maybe she'd be able to convince them to let Liz and the others go, while he, Kira, and Makoto would help them make a better OS for these machines.

When he finished rewriting the OS, Chris decided to climb out of the Raven. As he stepped out of the cockpit, there was a gunshot followed by the Earth Forces officer yelling, "Get out of those machines!"

Deciding that he was not about to argue with an armed military officer, Chris quickly climbed down from the Raven as Tolle, who had been in the Strike's cockpit, climbed down.

"Stop! What are you going?!" shouted Kira. "They helped get you out of the cockpit and tended to your wound."

"I am grateful for your help," said the Lieutenant. "But these four machines are part of a top secret military project. It isn't something civilians should be allowed to touch carelessly."

Makoto was quiet, though she agreed with the lieutenant about the 'carelessly' part.

She motioned with her gun for everyone to get together in one group, which they quickly did, except for Makoto, who seemed unshakeable. Chris wondered why.

"Now tell me your names," she ordered.

"Sai Argyle."

"Miriallia Haw."

"Tolle Koenig."

"Elizabeth Dante."

"Chris Dante."

Kira defiantly glared at her for a moment. "Kira Yamato."

"Makoto Arata," said the redhead calmly, staring straight into Ramius's eyes. The Earth Forces officer suppressed a wince at hearing the name.

"Lieutenant Murrue Ramius. I'm an officer of the Earth Alliance Forces," said Murrue. "I'm sorry to tell you this, but I cannot allow any of you to leave."

"What?!" was everyone's response, expect for Chris, who had already expected this, and Makoto, who merely closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"As I said, you have been exposed to a military secret and until I can reach the proper authorities and they can determine what to do with all of you, I can not allow you to leave my sight."

Makoto scoffed, drawing everyone's attention, but she merely waved it off shaking her head.

Only Chris and Kira heard her muttered words.

"ZAFT has six of those machines anyway, there's no secret here."

"We're citizens of Orb. You can't boss us around." said Tolle definitely.

Chris, deciding Makoto was quiet for a good reason, shook his head. "In case you haven't noticed Tolle, she's got a gun. So you probably shouldn't antagonize her."

"You should listen to him. It will make things easier on everyone," said Murrue. "Now, where is Johanna Dante?"

"She left, saying that she was going to find one of the Striker Packs for the Strike," answered Chris.

"Good. That will speed things up a bit," she said as she lowered her gun. "Okay, Chris, Kira, Makoto, I want one of you to get back in one of the mobile suits and get on the radio and try to contact any surviving members of the Earth Forces in Heliopolis."

"I'll do it," said Chris. "The Raven has more power than the Strike or Dauntless do at the moment."

He climbed back into the cockpit of the Raven. He sat down and started up the mobile suit.

"This is the GAT-X302 Raven. Any members of the Earth Forces still in Heliopolis, please respond," he said over the radio.

No response. So he tried again. Again no response. He couldn't help but wonder if there were any Earth Forces left alive in Heliopolis. He tried a few more times with no success.

Chris turned off the machine and stepped out of the cockpit. "I can't get anything! Either we're being jammed… or there's no one left to hear my calls!"

"Alright then, you can come down! We'll try again a little later!" said Murrue.

As he climbed back down, a large truck pulling a trailer pulled up. The truck stopped near the Strike and his aunt stepped out.

"Lieutenant Ramius, it's good to see you're up," she said as she walked towards them. "I got the Launcher Striker."

"Good. Let's get this thing hooked up," said Murrue.

"Kira, get back in the Strike while I get the Launcher Striker ready for you," said Johanna as she went back to the truck.

She stepped back into the cab of the truck. She pushed a button on the dashboard. The trailer folded open revealing the Launcher Striker.

"Kneel down with the Strike's back facing the side of trailer."

Kira followed her orders, bringing the Strike next to the trailer.

"Okay. I'm gonna mount the entire unit on the-"

A loud explosion from above interrupted her. Everyone looked up. There was a ball of fire coming from a part of the central shaft of Heliopolis. A ZAFT CGUE emerged from the fireball, followed by an Earth Forces Moebius Zero.

"Chris! Makoto! Get in the Raven and Dauntless now!" shouted Johanna.

The second they had seen the ZAFT machine, Chris and Makoto had already started running to the two mobile suits. They quickly climbed into the machines and turned them on as Johanna started to mount the Launcher Striker on the Strike.

During this, the CGUE sliced off part of the barrel of the Zero's gun, rendering it helpless and now had its eye set on the four machines on the ground.

Chris aimed the Raven's arm cannon at the CGUE and opened fire. But the CGUE effortlessly dodged every shot as it flew towards them.

_Damn. This guy is good. Gonna have to try something different or we're all gonna die. Well, let's see what this thing can do in the air._

"Makoto, let me handle this guy," said Chris, as the Raven leapt into the air, its thrusters blazing. "The Dauntless is low on power, so back me up if the Launcher Striker is mounted in time."

"_Got it,_" said Makoto.

Chris fired the Raven's cannon at the CGUE as it flew away from where the other three machines were. He had to distract the ZAFT machine long enough for the Launcher Striker to be mounted on the Strike and for Liz and the others to get away from the area.

And sure enough, the CGUE turned and began to fire at him as it dodged the energy shots.

_Yes, follow the little birdie. Don't worry about the defenseless machines on the ground._

Chris honestly didn't know how long he could hold out by himself against this machine. The pilot was clearly an experienced ace and he on the other hand, was piloting a mobile suit for the second time.

* * *

Rau Le Creuset was beginning to become annoyed. Athrun and Erik had reported that not only had the Strike stayed in the hands of the Earth Forces, but that the supposedly scrapped eighth machine had been built and was still in their hands, along with two additional models they hadn't known about. He had rendered that pest, Mu La Flaga, defenseless and had been about to destroy the four deactivated mobile suits, when the eighth machine, the GAT-X302 Raven if he recalled correctly, came online and started firing at him, trying to draw him away from the other machines, which the Raven's pilot had succeeded in doing. After all, he couldn't exactly destroy the Strike and unidentified machines while that other active mobile suit was firing at him. Rau had to admit that the pilot had some skill, but he was clearly a rookie pilot.

"You're pretty good with a gun but let's see how you fair against a sword," he said over the radio as he switched from the CGUE's rifle to its sword.

* * *

Chris heard over the radio, "_You're pretty good with a gun but let's see how you fair against a sword._"

The CGUE suddenly switched from its gun to its sword and charged. Chris quickly fired the arm cannons at the ZAFT machine, but it sidestepped every shot as it rocketed towards him.

At the last second, Chris blocked the sword with the shield part of the Raven's cannon while its left hand reached for the beam saber mounted on the Raven's left hip.

He drew the saber, activated it and slashed at the CGUE, but it quickly parried the blow with its own sword. Chris blinked slightly in surprise. An anti-beam coating had been applied to the sword?

Chris swung again and again at the CGUE. Every time, it effortlessly dodged, sidestepped, blocked or parried his attacks, while whenever it attacked, Chris barely did the same.

_Damn. This guy is really good. At this rate, unless Kira can lend me a hand, I'm not gonna last much longer, even if Makoto comes to help._

* * *

Aboard the _Archangel_

Ensign Natarle Badgiruel and the handful of crewmembers that currently made up the bridge crew of the _Archangel_ rushed to get the ship online. They had been attacked by ZAFT. The captain, the command crew, the G-Pilots, and majority of the crew that had been outside the _Archangel_ when the bombs went off, were dead. And they had no idea what was going on outside of the hanger.

"All systems are green. We're ready to go," reported Chandra.

Unfortunately, there was no way for them to open the hanger doors, if they were even still operational. So they were gonna have to a make a door.

"Take us out, maximum speed," ordered Natarle. "When the ship reaches maximum speed, fire assault cannons!"

A minute later, as the _Archangel _neared the hanger doors, the two powerful Lohengrin assault cannons fired, destroying the doors in a massive explosion.

* * *

Heliopolis Interior

Everyone heard and felt the explosion. Everyone stopped and looked up. There was a massive fireball tearing through a part of Heliopolis. They all watched as a massive white and red warship flew through the fireball.

_First a ZAFT attack, now this. What else is gonna happen today?_ thought Chris.

* * *

**Author's Note: I hope that worked out for everyone. Sorry if Makoto seems a little 'too perfect' at this point or something, but believe me when I say she's gonna have serious issues coming up in the future, such as pent up grief. She's also got a fair bit of history to her, and her present behaviour is important to that history.**

**Anyways, I wonder what people thought of the nasty surprise in the Guardian? Liz won't get to pilot it until after Artemis. The reason is because she would imbalance things a bit too much before that. I want to keep ZAFT's numerical superiority at three more Gundams than the _Archangel_ during the ambush.**

**If you want to know why the Raven had more power than the Dauntless: a matter of chance (*cough* plot device *cough cough*). The Raven's battery had more power in it than the Dauntless's did.**

**Anyways, please leave a review!**

**Also, Dragolord09 requested that I keep the eight Striker packs that I was planning on using in The Myriad. What does everyone else think? Should I have the eight Striker packs, or just stick with the standard three?**


	4. Phase 03: Collapsing Land

**I apologize to Akatsuki Leader13, since this third chapter is also a rehash of his own third chapter, with added scenes of my OCs and OMSs. I imagine we'll get a similar result in the next two chapters, though hopefully to a lesser extent in the next one than the one after it. Anyways, I don't expect much in terms of comments on this, but I hope everyone will comment on the new scenes!**

**Disclaimer: I don't even own this chapter, for the most part...  
**

* * *

Phase Three: Collapsing Land

January 25 C.E. 71

Heliopolis

* * *

Chris stared at the warship as it flew into Heliopolis. It wasn't a ZAFT vessel. If it were, it would have blasted through Heliopolis's superstructure. This ship had come from within Heliopolis's superstructure. Which meant that it had been built here, likely along with the mobile suits. But it still raised the question, was it an enemy or a friend?

The CGUE switched from its sword back to its rifle and flew towards the warship. It strafed the warship, but it caused little to no damage to the ship.

"Guess that answers my question," he said to himself.

The CGUE turned and it looked like it was about to perform another strafing run on the ship, when it flew downwards. Heading towards where the Strike was and…

_Liz!_

Chris pushed the Raven as fast as it could go. He had to intercept the CGUE before it attacked. But it was too late, the CGUE opened fire on the Strike and the people near it.

"NO!!" shouted Chris.

The Strike knelt down in front of the path of the CGUE's bullets, protecting Liz, Johanna and the others.

"Damn coward!" yelled Chris as he fired the Raven's cannon at the CGUE.

The CGUE flew upwards, dodging the shots. As it did, the _Archangel_ fired four missiles at the CGUE. The CGUE destroyed two of the missiles but the other two missed and hit Heliopolis's central shaft.

_Dammit. We can't risk anymore damage to Heliopolis._

Suddenly, Chris heard a beeping noise. It was coming from the power status bar. The Raven's power was at seven percent.

_Damn._

A hail of bullets suddenly ripped through the air towards the CGUE, the mobile suit pulling away at the last moment as a dull grey mobile suit flew towards it, a large sword held in its hands.

"Makoto!" said Chris over the comm. "Thanks. I'm low on power and I doubt Heliopolis is gonna be able to take much more. We have to end this fight now. Kira, you listening? Makoto, you and I should try to keep him busy while Kira tries to hit him with that big gun of his. Got it?"

"_Got it,_" replied Kira.

"_Sounds good, the Dauntless is almost out of power as well,_" said Makoto.

Chris aimed and fired the cannon at the ZAFT mobile suit. Yet again, the skilled pilot of the CGUE avoided the shots, only to have to go into a wild dance as more bullets blasted out from the cannons on the Dauntless's shoulders. The CGUE turned its attention to Makoto and raised it rifle at her.

It was about to fire when a massive beam streaked towards it. The ZAFT pilot barely dodged the beam, but his mobile suit lost its right arm. Unfortunately, the beam continued traveling and pierced Heliopolis's superstructure.

"No…" said Chris weakly as the CGUE fled through the hole in Heliopolis.

Heliopolis had been devastated. Chris couldn't help but wonder if Heliopolis could recover from such damage.

* * *

A Short While Later

Aboard the _Archangel_

The Strike and the Raven landed inside one the _Archangel_'s linear catapults. They knelt down, side by side, and lowered their hands, allowing their precious cargo to get off. Lieutenant Ramius, Tolle, and Mir got off the hands of the Strike while Liz, Sai, and Johanna stepped off the hands of the Raven. Meanwhile, the Dauntless landed on the opposite side of the catapult, carrying the Guardian.

"Lieutenant Ramius!" Ensign Badgiruel called as she and members of the _Archangel_'s surviving crew ran towards the people and the mobile suits.

"Ensign Badgiruel,"

Badgiruel saluted her superior. "I'm relieved to see that you're alright,"

Murrue returned her salute. "You as well. I'm pleased to see that you were able to protect the _Archangel_. You do realize that you saved our lives,"

"Indeed," said Johanna as she stepped forward. "If you hadn't shown up when you did, Ensign Badgiruel, that CGUE likely would have destroyed the Raven, and likely the Strike and others afterwards,"

At that moment, the cockpits of the Dauntless, the Raven, and the Strike opened and the three teenagers climbed out.

The _Archangel_'s crew stared in disbelief at the three teens climbing out of the three top secret mobile suits.

"Come on," said Chief Murdoch. "What's going on here? Those machines were piloted by a couple of kids?"

"Lieutenant Ramius, Mrs. Dante, what's going on here?" asked Badgiruel.

The two were about to explain what happened, when a man interrupted. "Wow. Now this is a surprise,"

A blond haired man wearing a purple Earth Forces flight suit walked towards the group. "I'm Lieutenant Mu La Flaga of the 7th Orbital Fleet," he said as he saluted.

The crew of the _Archangel_ returned the salute.

"I'm Lieutenant Murrue Ramius of Sector 2, 5th Special Division,"

"Ensign Natarle Badgiruel of the same division,"

"Johanna Dante of Morgenroete,"

Mu nodded. "I'd like permission to come aboard. Who's in charge here?"

Ensign Badgiruel looked hesitant for a moment before answering; "The captain and all of the officers of this ship all died in the explosions at the beginning of the attack,"

"What?" said Murrue in disbelief.

"Therefore, I believe Lieutenant Ramius is now in command," said Badgiruel. "There are only a dozen or so of us left, mostly non-commissioned officers and workers from Morgenroete,"

Mu sighed. "Oh, man. What a disaster. Well, in any case, permission to come aboard Lieutenant Ramius?"

"Permission granted,"

Mu nodded and glanced over at the group of teenagers standing around the mobile suits. "And who are those three?"

Johanna answered. "The one who piloted the Strike is Kira Yamato and the Raven's pilot is my nephew, Christopher Dante. They both stumbled into the factory district when we were under attack. I don't know who the girl is. Thanks to their help we were able to defeat a pair of GINNs, drive off that CGUE and protect the last four machines,"

"What?! These three kids were able to defeat two GINNs?" asked Natarle in surprise.

"Actually, Kira and Chris defeated the GINNs, while the girl, Makoto, protected the Guardian from the stolen Aegis and Resolute," said Murrue, remembering seeing that even as Kira reprogrammed the Strike's OS.

"What happened to the pilots of the G-Units?" asked Mu.

"They were with the captain at the time of the attack and died as well," replied Nararle.

Mu approached Kira, Chris, and Makoto. "You three are Coordinators, aren't you?"

The crew of the _Archangel_ collectively gasped.

Violet, light green, and grey-green eyes looked about the hangar before the three squared their shoulders.

"Yes," they answered.

A group of armed soldiers suddenly aimed their guns at the group of teenagers.

"Lower your weapons now, damn it!" shouted Johanna in a loud commanding voice, startling the soldiers. "They are Coordinators but they are not a part of ZAFT! You trigger happy idiots! If they were a part of ZAFT, they would have just taken the mobile suits and left!"

"Lower your rifles men," ordered Lieutenant Ramuis.

The soldiers hesitantly complied.

"Lieutenant, I would like an explanation," said Badgiruel.

"It's not that surprising, considering Heliopolis belongs to a neutral nation. So, it'd be natural to find Coordinators, who wished to avoid the war altogether, living here. Am I wrong?"

"No, you're right," answered Kira. "Especially since I'm a first generation Coordinator."

"Which means your parents are Naturals," said Mu before turning his eyes to Chris. "What about you?"

"Lieutenant Ramius is right about me and my sister," answered Chris. "We're both second-generation Coordinators and we were born in the PLANTS. But our parents, fearing that a war was going to break out, sent us out to Heliopolis to live with our aunt and uncle shortly before the war broke out,"

"Than your parents are still living in the PLANTs?" asked Murrue.

Chris hesitated. "No. They died early in the war."

"Sorry to bring it up," said Mu, turning to look at the final teenager. "And you?"

The redhead took a deep breath. "I'm a first generation Coordinator, just like Kira," she said. "My name's Makoto Arata." She glanced back at the Dauntless as Johanna sucked in a shocked breath. "My parents were Ichida and Naomi Arata—the primary designers of these machines if I'm not mistaken."

"No, you're right," said Murrue, now hesitant at the confirmation of her suspicions. "But how could you tell?"

"I'll explain when we're not in such a dire situation," said Makoto.

"I'm sorry for causing such a fuss," said Mu, shrugging slightly. "I was just curious. Nothing more."

"So what do we do now?" asked Natarle.

"Now? Well, I've just been shot down and the Le Creuset Team is waiting outside for us. He's a persistent fellow; he'll be waiting for us. Especially after that defeat you three gave him."

"Wait. You're saying that the pilot that Kira, Makoto, and I had fought and managed to beat a short while ago was the ZAFT ace, Rau Le Creuset?" said Chris in disbelief.

Mu nodded.

"How did we manage that?"

"I'd have to say it was a little bit of skill and a lot of luck," replied Mu.

"And technological superiority," said Makoto, still looking at the Dauntless. "You can't forget that one."

* * *

Aboard the _Gamow_

"D-Equipment? Does Commander Le Creuset plan on storming a fortress or something?" said Yzak.

"What's gonna happen to Heliopolis?" asked Nicol in concern.

"It's gonna be bad," said Saul as he watched a GINN being armed with heavy missiles. "A single misfire could cause massive damage to Heliopolis,"

"It serves them right," said Yzak. "Calling themselves a neutral state. What a joke,"

"So, the people of Heliopolis should suffer for the crimes of the people who run the Orb government. For the crimes of something they weren't even aware of?" asked Saul before shaking his head. "Cause that's what's gonna happen with those heavy weapons,"

Yzak, Nicol and Dearka didn't say anything.

Saul sighed. "This whole situation really sucks."

No one disagreed with him.

* * *

The Bridge of the _Archangel_

Lieutenants Ramius and La Flaga, Ensign Badgiruel, and Johanna Dante stood on the bridge discussing their situation.

"We've loaded up the last of the surviving supplies from Morgenroete. Chief Murdoch is currently overseeing the resupplying of the Strike, Raven, and Dauntless, as well as the repairs for your Moebius Zero," reported Johanna. "The mobile suits should be combat ready in about ten to fifteen minutes, though I can probably get the crews to speed things up. Zero, however, won't be combat ready for quite sometime."

"Thank you," said Murrue as she sat in the captain's chair.

"So, what's our next move?" asked Johanna.

"Once the mobile suits are resupplied, we'll leave before anymore damage befalls Heliopolis," replied Murrue.

"So you're gonna rely on Chris, Kira, and Makoto then?"

"What?" interrupted Badgiruel. "You can't be serious about letting those kids pilot the mobile suits again. Shouldn't Lieutenant La Flaga pilot one those machines at least?"

"Have you taken a look at the operating systems for those machines?" Mu said. "An ordinary human couldn't pilot those machines."

"And before you ask about having them change the OS of the G-Units back to their original format, you should now that the original OS didn't work that well. And don't ask me to try to rewrite the OS for Naturals. That's not my field of expertise. I worked on the bodies of the machines, not the programming," said Johanna. "So, we're gonna have to rely on them for protection."

"I agree," said Murrue, thoughts straying to Kira's impressive display of ability, rewriting the OS in mere seconds even while under attack by the GINN. "Without Lieutenant La Flaga's mobile armor, the Raven, Strike, and Dauntless are our only means of defense from ZAFT's mobile suits. And the only ones that can pilot those machines are those three teenagers."

"But Lieutenant Ramius, we can't just allow three civilians, much less three children, to operate top secret military hardware," argued Badgiruel.

"It's a long way to the moon, and I highly doubt that we'll be able to get there without a fight," said Mu. "And without those machines we're pretty defenseless against mobile suits."

Ensign Badgiruel hesitated for a moment but ultimately didn't say anything.

"Well, now that that's out of the way, I'm going back to the hanger to see if I can get the crews to hurry up," said Johanna as she started to walk out of the bridge.

Murrue stood up and said, "I'll go talk to Kira, Chris, and Makoto about this. Lieutenant La Flaga, the bridge is yours."

* * *

_Archangel_ Crew Quarters

"No. I won't do it," said Kira upon hearing what Lieutenant Ramius wanted from them.

Chris on the other hand, wasn't sure what to do. He really didn't want to get involved in the war that had taken so much from him, yet at the same time, his sister, his aunt, his friends, were all on board of this ship and he had the power to protect them.

"Please don't get us anymore involved than you already have," continued Kira. "We know there is a war going on out there but we don't want any part of it. That's why we chose to live here in a neutral nation."

"I'll do it," said Chris.

Kira, Liz, Tolle and everyone else started at him in surprise. So Chris explained his decision.

"Now, I don't want you to think that I'm calling you a coward Kira, cause I'm not. But as long as my friends and family are on this ship and I have the power to protect them, I will." He turned to Ramius and added, "But make no mistake, I will not fight offensively against ZAFT. I'll only fight to protect this ship and the people I care about on board."

"I understand. Thank you," said Lieutenant Ramius. "I suppose one is better than none. Which reminds me, where is Makoto?"

"Actually," said Liz thoughtfully. "I'm not sure."

"_Lieutenant Ramius. Report to the bridge at once,_" a voice on the intercom spoke.

Murrue stepped over to a nearby comm.. panel.

"What is it?" she asked.

Mu's voice answered. "_There are mobile suits approaching. Get back up here and assume command. You're the captain._"

A surprised look crossed her face. "I am?"

"_I have seniority, but I don't know the first thing about this ship._"

"Very well. Prepare the _Archangel_ for takeoff. Order all hands to level one battle stations. Is your mobile armor ready?"

"_No. But it seems that Makoto is down in the hangar, prepping the Dauntless for takeoff._"

A surprised look crossed the faces of all present, but Murrue decided not to question her good fortune. "Then Lieutenant La Flaga, please take charge of the CIC." Murrue turned around and added, "Chris, get to the hanger and into one of the mobile suits. You'll have to go out with Makoto alone."

"Actually," said Liz as she stepped forward. "I could pilot the other machine."

Chris response to his sister was simple, "No."

"But I'm a Coordinator. I can pilot the other mobile suit," argued Liz.

"I said no. I'll go out by myself."

"That's suicide and you know it!"

"I don't care! I'd prefer risking my own life rather than let you go out there with me!"

"Enough," said Lieutenant Ramius, interrupting their argument. "If Kira does not want to pilot one of the mobile suits and you wish to pilot it than I'll allow you to pilot it."

"You can't be serious!" shouted Chris.

"We don't have any other choice," said Murrue.

"You people aren't being fair!" said Kira, his fists clenched and shaking at his sides. "Fine, I'll do it."

"Alright then. C'mon Kira, we don't have much time," said Chris.

Kira nodded and the two of them sprinted to the hanger.

"Thanks Kira for changing your mind. If you hadn't, my sister really would have piloted the Strike and risked her life out there." He than added, more to himself than to Kira, "This war has taken too much from me already."

* * *

The _Archangel_'s Hanger

Chris sat in the Raven's cockpit which was now in the port mobile suit catapult. Kira and the Strike were in the starboard catapult. Makoto had asked to launch last—something about some final OS adjustments.

Johanna's voice came over the radio. "Alright, Kira, we're equipping the Strike with the Sword Striker, so we won't have a repeat of last time. Hold on for a second."

There was a pause.

"There's four… no five mobile suits incoming. What? The Aegis? Okay, it's the Aegis and three GINNs armed with...WHAT?! Are they nuts?!"

"What is it?" Chris asked.

"The GINNs are armed with heavy weapons used for taking out heavily fortified bases. A single misfire could be disastrous for Heliopolis."

Kira gasped while Chris just shook his head in shock. This was insane. How could ZAFT use those kind of weapons inside of a civilian colony.

"Oh, great," said Johanna. "The fifth machine is the Resolute. Like ZAFT needed to send in more firepower. Anyways, be careful and good luck." The catapult doors opened.

"Chris Dante. Raven taking off!" shouted Chris just before the catapult activated, launching the Raven.

Seconds later, the Strike launched.

_Well, let's give this mobile armor mode a try._

Chris pushed the button to transform the mobile suit and a couple seconds later, he found himself sitting in the cockpit of a bird-like mobile armor.

"Hop on Kira. We need to get rid of these guys before Heliopolis takes anymore damage."

The Strike landed on the back of the Raven as the Dauntless launched behind them, and the three machines sped towards the five enemy mobile suits. When they almost reached them, the two GINNs armed with heavy missiles, broke away from the others and headed towards the _Archangel_.

"Kira, Makoto, will you be able to fight these three by yourself while I deal with those two GINNs?" asked Chris.

"_Yeah, I think so,_" said Kira.

"_No problem,_" came Makoto's reply.

"Then hop off Kira, and good luck."

The Strike leapt off the Raven and moved in to engage the remaining GINN and the Aegis, while the Dauntless closed in on the Resolute, and the Raven turned around and chased after the GINNs.

The GINNs were fast but the Raven in its mobile armor mode was faster. One of the GINNs, seeing the Raven catching up to them, turned around and fired a trio of missiles from its ankle mounted missile pods. Chris opened fire with the Raven's shoulder mounted guns at the missiles, destroying two of them and evaded the third.

_Not bad. But it's gonna take more than that to get rid of me._

One of the GINNs fired two of its large missiles and some of its ankle mounted missiles at the _Archangel_. The _Archangel_ performed evasive maneuvers as its point defenses opened fire, destroying the large missiles and dodging most of the smaller ones. The missiles that missed hit Heliopolis, further damaging the already damaged colony.

"Stop it!" shouted Chris as he transformed the Raven back into its mobile suit mode and fired its cannon at the GINN.

The GINN dodged the twin shots and fired off the last two heavy missiles and its remaining smaller missiles at him, before discarding the launchers and pulling out it's holstered rifle and firing. Chris fired both the arm cannon and the Igelstellungs, desperately trying to destroy as many of missiles as he could before they hit him or Heliopolis. He managed to destroy one of large missiles and a couple of smaller ones. He aimed at the second large missile and was about to fire when the GINN fired upon him, throwing his aim off and missing the missile. The missile impacted the central shaft of Heliopolis, damaging it.

"Are you trying to destroy Heliopolis?!" he shouted as he turned and fired at the GINN.

The GINN dodged the first two pairs of high-velocity rounds, but the second shot of the third pair tore through the its left leg, but unlike the last one, this one kept fighting rather than fleeing. Seeing no other option, Chris aimed and fired one last shot. The twin rounds tore through the GINN's chest and a second later, it exploded.

Chris barely registered fact that he had just killed someone. This wasn't the time to think about that. Heliopolis and the _Archangel_ were still in danger.

* * *

Elsewhere

Kira wasn't faring all that well. The pilot of the GINN that was armed with the heavy energy cannon was firing like a maniac, not caring whether he hit the Strike or Heliopolis. Didn't he realize that he was destroying peoples' homes every time he missed? Kira had to stop him.

The GINN's pilot, Miguel, was growing angry. He just couldn't seem to destroy the Strike and its Natural pilot. Adding to this was the embarrassment of his previous battle and defeat at the hands of the Strike. Miguel wanted payback.

"Get behind it Athrun!" he shouted over the radio.

Suddenly, the Aegis, which had stayed out of the fight up to this point, lunged at the Strike from behind. Kira barely evaded the Aegis. But the second he did, Miguel fired at him again. Kira dodged the beam and struck back by throwing the Sword Striker's beam boomerang at it. The GINN dove over the boomerang and prepared to fire again. But Miguel didn't expect the boomerang to return, severing his machine's right leg. Before the pilot could retaliate, Kira struck, driving his large sword through the chest of the GINN, cleaving it in two.

"AAAAAAAARGH!!" Miguel screamed before his mobile suit exploded.

Kira turned to the Aegis, ready for anything. Kira wasn't sure who the pilot of the Aegis was. He had seen whom he believed to be Athrun steal the machine, but was that same person piloting the Aegis now?

"_Kira. Kira Yamato!_" Athrun's voice came over the radio.

Kira gasped. He knew that voice. It was Athrun's voice. His oldest friend had been part of the attack on his home and was facing him in combat.

"_So it is you, isn't it, Kira?_"

* * *

Elsewhere

The Dauntless and Resolute flew past each other several times, neither moving to attack as the pilots sized one another up. Idly, Makoto noted that the destroyed gatling guns on the shield had been fixed. ZAFT worked very fast… or maybe it was simply that the damage wasn't that difficult to repair. They'd had several hours to work, by her estimate.

Suddenly, by silent mutual agreement, the two machines struck.

The inner right wrist armor of the Resolute popped open, and a beam saber shot out into the mobile suit's hand, the blade flashing to fly as the Dauntless tightened its grip on the Exia sword and the two machines charged one another.

The saber and sword clashed against one another as the two machines passed. They both spun about, coming in from different angles then last time, head on, and saber and sword again clashed as both machines struggled for dominance.

Makoto grit her teeth. Oh, she was better at this than her opponent—strictly speaking. But adapting her ability into mobile suit combat wasn't an easy task.

Makoto unfolded the machine cannons in the shoulders of the Dauntless and opened fire, the two machines breaking apart. The Resolute blocked with its shield, and after a few seconds, the surface exploded, knocking the machine back slightly.

Driving the Dauntless forward, Makoto rammed her machine into the Resolute, knocking it off-balance. Before she could strike, though, the Resolute regained its balance, and let loose with the shield-mounted twin gatling.

Pulling back on the controls, Makoto sent her machine through a series of wild evasive maneuver before firing a potshot at the Resolute from the Exia's concealed beam rifle.

The Resolute dodged, and Erik smiled grimly. Oh, he was enjoying this…

The Resolute's chest opened up, revealing a pair of gatling guns that opened up on the Dauntless, though Makoto nimbly evaded the shots or blocked them with her shield.

Then, the Resolute opened up with its full artillery: double beam gatling, chest gatlings, shoulder-mounted machine cannons—and over two dozen large missiles.

"Crap," muttered Makoto. Activating her machine cannons and Igelstellungs, Makoto attempted to destroy as many missiles as she could before they hit her or the colony, while also having to avoid the barrage of bullets—and more particularly, beam bullets—being sent her way.

* * *

Elsewhere

Chris chased after the remaining GINN, who was harassing the _Archangel_ at the moment. However, before he could engage it, the GINN was hit by one of the _Archangel_'s Gottfrieds, destroying the GINN's waist and thighs. Just before it exploded, the GINN fired off all of its missiles. The missiles flew wildly into the central shaft of Heliopolis. The shaft broke in two, causing Heliopolis to start collapsing all around them.

"No…" said Chris as he watched his home for almost a year crumble into dust.

Suddenly, the effects of the massive vacuum that was being created violently pulled on the Raven. He struggled to control the mobile suit, but it was pointless. There was nothing he could do but sit back and pray that he would survive.

* * *

Elsewhere

"Athrun? Athrun Zala?!" said Kira in disbelief. "Why...Why are you here?"

"_You should talk!_" Athrun shot back. "_What are you going in that thing?!_"

Before Kira could answer, parts of Heliopolis began to fall all around them. Kira looked around in horror. Heliopolis was tearing itself apart. A few seconds later, both Kira and Athrun found themselves being violently pulled outside the colony.

Kira screamed as he pulled into space. He heard Athrun shout out his name before the Aegis was pulled out in the different direction.

* * *

Meanwhile... (because "Elsewhere" has been used too much already)

"_It seems we'll have to finish this another time,_" came the voice of who Makoto instinctively knew to be Erik Saharin over the radio as Heliopolis collapsed around them. "_It's a shame… that it came to this._"

Makoto's grip on the controls of the Dauntless tightened.

"I'll get you for this," she said as the vacuum tore the two away from each other, the mobile suits shaking. Both pilots praying they would survive. "Do you hear me?! I'll make sure justice comes down on your head for what you've done here!"

"_I'll look forward to it!_" was the last thing she heard before everything was obscured by the wreckage.

* * *

Aboard the _Gamow_

Saul, Nicol, Dearka and Yzak watched as Heliopolis broke apart.

"Heliopolis…" said Nicol weakly.

"Jeez… How the hell did Miguel and the others screw up so badly?" asked Dearka.

"The council's gonna have Commander Le Creuset's head for this," said Saul solemnly. "There's no way he can get out of something like this without some form of punishment. Using D-Equipment inside a civilian colony. What was he thinking?"

* * *

A Short While, Later In the Newly Formed Heliopolis Debris Field

Chris stared out at the debris field of what had been his home for a few days short of a year. But now it was gone. Nothing more than dust in the wind.

"_X3… Ra… 05 Str… 10… les… res…_" a static filled voice called over the radio.

A few seconds later, it came back, this time at full strength. "_X305 Raven, X105 Strike, X106 Dauntless, please respond._"

"This is the Raven," called Chris over the radio. "Is that you _Archangel_?"

"_Affirmative Raven,_" the voice of Ensign Badgiruel answered. "_What's your status?_"

"Shaken but I'm okay."

"Can you see the Strike or Dauntless?"

Chris took a quick look around. He spotted the _Archangel_ in the distance, but couldn't see either of his friends' machines.

"No, I can't see them."

"_Very well then. Return to the ship._"

"On my way."

He started to make his way back to the ship as Ensign Badgiruel continued to call the Strike and Dauntless. A few seconds later, Kira responded, "_Strike here. I'm fine._"

"_Do you have the ship's position?_" asked Badgiruel.

"_Yes,_" replied Kira.

"_Then return to the ship._"

"_Right._"

Meanwhile, Chris had made it about a third of the way to the _Archangel_ when he spotted a blinking light. A closer inspection revealed a damaged Heliopolis lifeboat.

"_Archangel_. I've found a damaged lifeboat out here. I'm bringing it in," he called over the radio.

"_What? Who gave you authorization to do that?_" demanded Badgiruel.

_Oh, you gotta be kidding me._

"I'm bringing this lifeboat in."

"_You can't just bring in a civilian lifeboat without proper authorization._"

Chris shook his head and pushed some of the buttons next to the radio, filling the radio with static. "What was that _Archangel_? You're breaking up. I didn't get that last transmission. You can tell me when I come aboard with the lifeboat."

Chris then turned off the radio, picked up the lifeboat and headed towards the _Archangel_.

* * *

Natarle resisted the urge to mutter a few curses at Chris, and instead continued calling for the Dauntless.

"X106 Dauntless, please respond," she said. "Makoto Arata, if you can hear me, then please, res—"

"_Makoto here,_" came the voice of the redhead over the radio suddenly. "_Sorry about that. I would've spoken up earlier, but I don't really understand much about electronic warfare. Given how close I was to the ZAFT ships, I was worried they might detect a return transmission._"

"You saw the ZAFT ships?" asked Natarle, intrigued.

"_Yeah,_" said Makoto. "_I saw them taking in the Aegis and Resolute. I wanted to be certain they wouldn't see me moving._"

"Can you confirm the number of enemies? Lieutenant La Flaga reported two ships, a destroyer and a frigate, but we want to be sure," said Natarle.

"_Destroyer and frigate… that sounds about right,_" said Makoto. Then, almost absentmindedly, she added, "_If I recall correctly, Orb intelligence claimed that Rau Le Creuset's new flagship was called the _Vesalius_…_"

"You have access to Orb intelligence?" asked Natarle, drawing shocked looks from those around her.

"_Not anymore,_" said Makoto. "_It's just something I overheard, don't worry about it. Anyways, I'm almost there, so I'll see you when I get aboard._"

* * *

**Author's Note: A few small peaks at the enigma that is Makoto Arata. I intend to make her more prominent in future chapters as I draw this story further and further away from _Gundam SEED: A Retelling_. Anyways, please leave a review.**

**For the record, I'm still bringing in votes for whether or not to use the full eight Striker packs planned in The Myriad. If I do, I probably won't have Kira use the IWSP until the final battles in the Strike, or perhaps even have it simply incomplete, with Morgenroete completing it for them or something. Ah well, if I do keep it, I'll figure it out.**

**Please review! Ja ne!  
**


	5. Phase 04: Phase Shift Down

**Unlike the Myriad, I'm finding this fic to be incredibly enjoyable to write, which is why I continue to do so so quickly. It helps that I can pull stuff from Akatsuki Leader13 (THANK YOU!) for stuff that Makoto and Erik wouldn't end up affecting. We get to see the Lightning Striker in action here as well.**

**Also, if you check the Mecha Page, I have now added profiles for the Dauntless, Guardian, and the Strike with all eight Striker packs.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam SEED. Hell, I don't even own this chapter for the most part (same as the last three...). It's just an edited version of Akatsuki Leader13's _Gundam SEED: A Retelling_ fanfic with Makoto and Erik thrown in. I really need to work on originality in this fic... well, it _is_ supposed to be a rehash, but things should be more original post-Artemis onward.  
**

* * *

Phase Four: Phase Shift Down

January 25 C.E. 71

* * *

Aboard the _Archangel_

Chris laid on one of the bunks while Kira, Liz and the others were talking amongst themselves. Chris was tired at the moment and didn't really feel like talking. He also wished he hadn't left his guitar in the Professor's lab. None of them had seen hide nor hair of Makoto since she'd landed in the hangar.

The ship suddenly shook for a moment.

"What was that?" asked Flay Allster.

Flay Allster was one of the people that had been in that lifeboat Chris had rescued. He wasn't all that crazy about her. Sure he found her physically attractive, but her personality irritated him. Stuck up people did that to him. If she weren't so struck up and wasn't arranged to marry Sai, he probably would have asked her out at some point.

"I think we're on the move," said Chris. "Where we're going, I don't know."

"Ah, Kira, Chris, there you are," said Mu as he entered the set of bunks they were sitting at. "Both Murdoch and Johanna asked me to tell both of you that because we're so understaffed, you two are to are responsible for maintaining your machines."

"Our machines?" said Kira. "When did they become our machines?"

"I have to agree with Kira. Don't these machines belong to either Morgenroete or the Earth Forces?" asked Chris as he sat up.

"Technically, you're right. But for the moment, it's been decided that since you're the only ones who can use them, they're your machines."

"Sure, we piloted those machines twice but we're not soldiers," argued Kira.

"So the next time they attack and you refuse to pilot it, those will be your last words, huh?" said Mu.

"I have to agree with him, Kira. Until we get to an Earth Forces base and we can disembark, everyone here is in danger. And at the moment, we're the only ones who can protect the ship and the people on board," said Chris. "But what about Makoto?"

"Already down in the hangar working on the Dauntless," said Mu. "She seems pretty attached to it. Anyways, Kira, he's right. Both of you have the power to make a difference. Why not put it to good use? We have very little time, including time to think it over," said Mu before starting to walk away.

"Excuse me sir," said Sai. "But where are we going?"

"To the nearby Eurasian military base, Artemis. Of course, we're likely to have some problems actually getting in," answered Mu before he left.

Chris sighed. "Well Kira, should we go down to the hanger?"

"This isn't… I…" Kira mumbled out before running off.

"Kira!" shouted Tolle and Mir.

"I'll go talk to him," said Chris.

"Hold on minute." said Flay. "You mean that you, Kira, and Makoto were piloting those mobile suits?"

"Yes," said Sai. "You know how one of the mobile suits brought in the lifeboat you were on. Well, the pilot of that mobile suit was Chris."

Flay turned to Chris "You? You were the one?"

"Yeah."

"But why would the two of you be piloting mobile suits?" she asked.

"Well, my sister, Kira, Makoto, and I are Coordinators," he replied. "And just to tell you, if you're one of those people who discriminates against Coordinators, then do us all a favor and don't say anything."

Chris stood up and headed towards the hanger.

* * *

Liz watched her brother walk away. Ever since their parents had died, he had become bitter towards people who discriminated again Coordinators or Naturals, or in the case of Blue Cosmos, utterly hated.

Of course, things had been different for the first month and a half after their parents died in a Blue Cosmos terrorist attack. During that time, he became angry at just about everyone and everything. He picked fights with just about anyone. Sometimes he won. Other times he didn't. She had feared that they'd find him dead in an alley before long. Then, about a month and a half after their parents died, their grandfather paid them a visit from Orb. His second night there, he took Chris out for a couple of hours. Only those two knew what was said and done. But when they returned, both were beaten up. Although Chris was unconscious and in worse condition.

After that, Chris had begun to change. His anger at the world faded away. He stopped going out and picking fights with people. He still got into fights but now he only fought to protect himself and others.

Seeing the uncertainly in Flay's eyes, Liz spoke, "My brother, Kira, Makoto, and myself may be Coordinators. But we aren't with ZAFT."

"There still one of us. Treasured friends," said Mir.

* * *

The _Archangel_'s Hanger

Kira stood before the Strike. Lieutenant La Flaga's and Chris's words echoing through his mind.

"Torn?" asked Makoto, floating over towards him from the Dauntless.

"Just because I can pilot a mobile suit, doesn't mean that I'm a soldier," said Kira in response.

"Of course it doesn't. Why would that make you a soldier?"

Kira turned to his left. It was Chris.

"Kira, at the moment, none of us are soldiers. We're just three teenagers who are trying to protect what we care about," said Chris as he approached. "When we reach an Earth Forces base and can disembark, then we must decide whether to stay or to go, to become soldiers or to remain civilians. When that time comes, you will decide what you want to do for yourself, just as I will."

"Have you decided?" asked Kira.

"Actually, I haven't really thought about it. But don't think that what I decide is what you should decide," said Chris with a shrug. "But now that I think about it, have you thought about it, Makoto?"

Makoto was silent for a moment.

"I can't leave," said Makoto finally, drawing slight gasps from the two. Makoto's eyes turned to the Strike. "I've always had a fascination with mobile suits. Don't get me wrong—I hate war. But for Master Misuumi and myself, they brought something unique to the table of war, something many humans had forgotten. They allowed humans to put all of themselves into what they were doing. It was no longer about operating a tank or flying a place—you were moving around a body much like your own. For that reason, mobile suits fascinated me from the moment I learned of their existence."

Makoto turned to face the Dauntless. "It got to the point where I began creating models to put in my room. GINNs, CGUEs, BuCUEs… and eventually, I created my own model, unlike anything seen before. I called it the Angelus, because it was a machine with a more human-like appearance and two wings."

"Dauntless," said Chris softly, eyes widening. Makoto looked back at her fellow Coordinators and smiled sadly.

"Yes," she said. "My Angelus model. I'd sent a copy of it to my parents' months ago. That's what drew my attention, back at the Morgenroete factory. The Dauntless was pretty much an exact duplicate of my model. Sure, the wings were slightly different, but there was no doubt that it was my model brought to life. They died to protect the Dauntless from ZAFT. I can't let anyone have it. Not now."

Suddenly, alarms went off.

"_Silhouette detected. Enemy unit detected,_" said a voice over the PA. "_All military personnel, report to your stations at once. Repeat…_"

"That was fast," said Johanna as she approached the three of them. "Well, come on you three. We need to get you into some flight suits."

* * *

Elsewhere

"Looks like we're heading into another battle," commented Sai as the alarms sounded.

"I wonder what Kira has decided," said Mir.

"If he refuses, our chances of surviving drop considerably," said Sai.

"Hey! My brother will protect us even if Kira doesn't!" shouted Liz at Sai.

"I didn't mean it like," said Sai in his defense. "I meant that the odds of our survival are greater if Kira is fighting as well."

"We should do something," said Mir.

Everyone looked at her in confusion.

"We've been sitting on the sidelines and relying those three to protect us." No one needed to ask who 'those three' were.

"If we have the ability to make a difference, then we should put it to good use," said Tolle.

Mir, Liz, and Sai nodded in agreement.

* * *

A Short While Later

Kira and Chris started putting on their pilot suits. Makoto, upon realizing there wasn't a separate locker room, and still embarrassed despite her resolve to fight, had taken a unique black and silver pilot suit she'd found close to her size, and proceeded to the nearest private room. Kira himself was putting on a light blue one, while Chris had chosen a midnight blue one.

Kira had to admit, he was a little surprised that Tolle, Sai, Mir, and Liz had volunteered to help out aboard the ship. Though what was more surprising was that Chris was letting his sister help out, yet earlier he had been against her piloting the Strike.

"Hey Chris."

"Yeah?"

"Why weren't you against your sister helping out now?" asked Kira.

"Well, the _Archangel_ is dangerously understaffed right now. So, she's actually safer if she helps out," answered Chris. "And she's still in the same amount of danger regardless of whether she's a part of the crew or not."

"Well, from the looks of things, you've made up your mind Kira," said Mu as he entered the room in his own flight suit.

"Yes," said Kira. "Like both you and Chris said, the three of us and Makoto are the only ones that can protect this ship and everyone on board. Don't get the wrong idea, I'm not a soldier and certainly don't want to fight. All I want to do is protect the people on board this ship."

"It's the same for all of us," said Mu. "You won't find many people who fight merely for the sake of fighting. We fight because it's the only way to protect ourselves and what we care about." Mu looked around. "Where's Makoto?"

"Here," said Makoto, returning in her pilot suit. Chris blinked. In his opinion, Makoto looked even more attractive in that outfit—or maybe it was simply the way she carried herself and had tied her hair into a quick braid. Because of the red hair, for a split second, Chris was able to envision how Flay would look a similar outfit, but he'd already dismissed all thoughts of appearance by the time the thought had a chance to form.

"So what's the plan?" asked Chris.

* * *

Aboard the _Gamow_

Saul Kessel sat in the cockpit of the Surge, waiting for the order to launch. He had to admit, he was excited to try out the Surge in actual combat. He had studied the machine and all of its capabilities. The Surge was easily the fastest of all the mobile suits. Hell, chances are, it's the fastest mobile suit ever made. He could imagine the men and women of the infamous Alaric Team under the command of the Black Hawk, desiring to get their hands on the machine, or any of the other mobile suits from Heliopolis for that matter. His older sister, Diana Kessel, would've loved the chance to look it over, even if she didn't show it.

Saul shuddered at the thought of his older sister. She was the complete opposite of him. Where he was rather lazy, calm, and quiet, she was a real slave driver. Loud, uptight, forceful, and about a dozen other unpleasant words he could use to describe her. She was also a skilled hacker, though much to her annoyance, not as good as him.

Regardless of its second-in-command, the Alaric Team was still the same outfit. A group of pilots that varied from extremely professional soldiers to soldiers that if they had been in any other military group, they would have been kicked out of the military or thrown in a military prison. All in all, they were a wild and unpredictable group of soldiers, who had only two things in common. Their mobile suits and a tremendous loyalty to their commander. The machines they piloted were a bunch of heavily customized GINN High Maneuver Types, in fact, it was said that no two mobile suits were exactly the same. All aboard a trio of newly built and customized _Nazca_-class vessels. But that's who the men and women of the Alaric Team were. A group of wildly different soldiers, who piloted non-standard, customized machines. And they were the most feared and respected space-based unit in ZAFT.

"Mobile suit pilots, prepare for launch," said the _Gamow_'s Combat Operator over the radio.

He was up first. Saul moved the Surge onto the catapult. He received the green light to take off.

"Saul Kessel. Surge takin' off."

The catapult activated, the G-forces pushing him back into his seat as the Surge was launched into space.

_Time to try this baby out._

* * *

The _Archangel_'s Hanger

Makoto sat in the cockpit of the Dauntless, waiting for the order to launch. Lieutenant La Flaga had taken off a few minutes ago to begin his part of the Hawk's grand escape scheme. Soon, Chris and Kira would be launching. And Makoto would follow.

"_Load the Aile Striker onto the Strike,_" came Johanna's voice over the radio.

_Aile Striker? How many different Striker packs do they have? Wait, I still have my computer with me… I'll check it out later._

"_Kira, Chris, Makoto,_" said Miriallia over the radio as her face appeared on one of screens on the console.

"_Miriallia?_" she heard Kira say over the radio.

"From now on, I will act as the combat operator for the mobile suits and the mobile armor," said Mir. "I'm counting on you three."

"_Don't worry Mir,_" said Chris. "_We're not gonna let anything happen to the ship._"

The ship suddenly shuddered slightly as the Lohengrins fired blindly at the _Nazca_-class ahead of them.

Makoto suspected this was also the signal that the catapult doors were opening.

"Kira Yamato. Strike Gundam launching," said Kira before he took off.

_Gundam? Interesting name,_ thought Makoto, hitting a switch and bringing up the Dauntless's start-up display.

**G**eneral **U**nilateral **N**euro – link **D**ispersive **A**utonomic **M**aneuver (**G**.**U**.**N**.**D**.**A**.**M**.) System.

"_Chris Dante. Raven Gundam taking off,_" came Chris's voice.

Makoto smiled as the Dauntless was moved onto the catapult vacated by the Strike. She shut the visor of her helm.

"Makoto Arata, Dauntless Gundam, heading out!" said Makoto.

The catapult activated, propelling her forward and into space.

"_There's six mobile suits incoming,_" said Ensign Badgiruel over the radio. "_Two from the front, four from the rear. It's the Aegis, and Resolute in front, the Blitz, the Surge, the Duel and the Buster in the rear._"

"_Okay Kira, Makoto, we're outnumbered, so I think we should stay near the _Archangel_. That way, they can provide us with some support._"

"_Right,_" replied Kira.

Makoto was silent.

_There's only so much support the ship can give us without hitting us in the sort of melee we can expect with nine machines out here,_ she thought. _Especially since the Dauntless was made for close combat._

* * *

The Surge, the Blitz, the Duel and the Buster streaked through space.

"Looks like Athrun and Erik are gonna beat us there," Saul said to himself. "Hey Yzak."

"_What?_"

"Athrun and Erik are gonna be by themselves for awhile against those three machines, waiting for us to get there. I'm going ahead to help them."

"_What? What are you talking about? You can't get there any faster than the rest of us._"

Saul smirked. "Do you know why my machine is called the Surge?"

"_What? What does that have to do with anything?!_"

"Let me show you." said Saul before hitting the throttle to max.

The Surge's thrusters kicked in, causing the mobile suit to literally surge through space towards the enemy warship and mobile suits while the G-forces were pushing Saul back into his seat.

_Wow! I knew this thing was fast but… wow!_

A few minutes later, he arrived just after Athrun and Erik arrived. Athrun went after the Strike, and Resolute went after the winged one. The third machine, the Raven, moved to help its comrade. But Saul wasn't about to let Athrun get double-teamed. He aimed and fired a trio of warning shots at it. He wasn't about to destroy the Raven when it wasn't even aware of him. That was something cowards and snipers did. Not him.

The Raven stopped, turned to face him and opened fire with its dual railgun. But Saul, using the Surge's superior speed, dodged with every shot, and returned fire with his beam rifle. Both machines avoided the other's shots as they fired.

_Hmm… This guy's good. Let's try this._

The Surge's left arm shot up and fired its Hakenfaust piercer claw. The Raven dodged the claw and transformed into its mobile armor mode and opened fire with its machine guns as it flew towards him. Saul dove to the left, dodging most of the shots and the few that did hit him barely scratched the Phase Shift armor.

The Raven flew past him, and Saul spun the Surge around and fired again as the Raven turned for another pass. Saul fired his rifle at it. The Raven dodged but oddly enough, didn't return fire. It was almost upon him, when it's bird-like feet angled up a bit and short energy blades activated in the center of its feet.

_Shit!_ thought Saul as he barely managed to fly up and avoid it.

The Raven flew past him and transformed back into its mobile suit mode. Then it spun around and fired its railgun at him again.

_Why don't we try something a little different,_ thought Saul as he dodged the shots.

He holstered his rifle and drew his swords and charged as fast as he could get the machine to go. The Raven managed to draw both of its beam sabers and block his attack and pushed him back.

"You're pretty good," said Saul over radio to the Raven's pilot. "I'm a little surprised that a Natural could pilot a mobile suit so well."

"_I'm not a Natural,_" the pilot replied.

From the sound of his voice, the pilot was probably around his age.

"_I'm a Coordinator. Same with the pilots of the Strike and Dauntless._"

Now this really surprised him, such that the mention of the winged mobile suit's name escaped him completely. "What?! Why are you three fighting on an Earth Forces warship?"

"_A rather long story,_" the pilot answered. "_The short answer is that my family and friends, who are civilians, are on board that ship. So I'm simply protecting them._"

Saul had to admit, that was a very good reason. Hell, he'd do the same thing in his position.

"Sorry to hear that. It's nothing personal but I got my orders. And I won't insult you by holding back," he said.

"_Same here._"

At that moment, Yzak, Nicol and Dearka arrived.

"_Nicol, go help Saul with that machine. Dearka, you get the ship. I'll help Athrun,_" ordered Yzak. "_Erik will be fine, I'm sure._" Not that Erik was better—in fact, Athrun was the best amongst them, but Yzak wanted to make sure Athrun didn't hog all the glory for his destroying the Strike. Also, Yzak wasn't stupid enough to get caught in the hail of firepower Erik was letting loose with the Resolute.

The Blitz appeared and fired at the Raven, causing it to back off.

"_Saul, you alright?_" asked Nicol.

"I'm fine."

_Sorry buddy, but I got a job to do._

* * *

Beam bullets blasted freely from the twin barrels of the Resolute's double gatling as Makoto wove the Dauntless through the hail of enemy fire, sending the occasional potshot from her Exia towards her opponent.

Both were quick to tire of it, though.

Makoto raised the Dauntless's shield directly into the stream of bullets, the anti-beam coating harmlessly dissipating the beam energy as she drove her machine forward at full speed towards her opponent.

Obviously not blind to what his opponent was capable of, the Resolute's pilot dropped the double gatling—or rather, _shot_ the entire shield off f the left arm—and shot both beam sabers from its wrist armor into its hands.

Makoto smirked. That suited her just fine.

Popping the inner left wrist armor of the Dauntless open as she tossed away her shield, Makoto shot a beam saber from the wrist. The Dauntless and Resolute had the same saber concealing wrist armor, and she was quick to put it to use for her.

Saber and sword clashed against twin sabers, the two machines—and more particularly their pilots—struggling for dominance once more.

"_Not bad,_" came Erik's voice over the radio. "_Care to give me a name?_"

"Why are you interested?" replied Makoto as the two pushed away from one another. Erik let loose with the Resolute's shoulder and chest cannons.

By nature, such heavy fire isn't exactly 'accurate', as the high rate of fire shakes the weapons, shifting the aim slightly. The Resolute, however, proved quite accurate with its weapons, and Makoto was hard-pressed to avoid the attack. Quickly returning her beam saber to its storage space, Makoto retrieved her shield, using it and the small shield integrated into the Exia to help defend her from the bullets, so that they wouldn't drain her Phase Shift armor.

Returning fire with her own shoulder cannons, Makoto managed to force the Resolute to begin its own evasive maneuvers, further throwing Erik's aim off. The two spun around one another before Makoto smirked.

"You know," she said over the radio. "It's not really intelligent to leave weapons lying around for your enemy to use. But thanks for letting me borrow it."

Her grin grew as she heard Erik swear over the radio, tossing away her own shield and grabbing the smaller shield of the Resolute—and the beam gatlings attached to it.

* * *

Elsewhere

Unbeknownst to the combatants, a modified CGUE and a pair of modified GINNs armed with sniper rifles observed them from afar.

"So those are the new mobiles and the legged ship from Heliopolis," said Diana Kessel as she watched the fight. "Quite impressive."

"_Yeah. Those guys at Orb sure know how to make some sweet looking machines,_" drawled Ajay Cortez.

"_Indeed,_" said Lucius Raveshaw. "_Though I have to wonder if getting these machines was worth the destruction of Heliopolis._"

"_Yeah. They should have sent us. Not that masked pansy Le Creuset and those little boys,_" said Ajay.

"May I remind you, Ajay, that one of those 'little boys' is my younger brother?" said Diana to her subordinate. Even though ZAFT had no formal ranking system, she was considered the lieutenant of Commander John Alaric, and thus the superior of all others in the team.

"_Sorry ma'am. Didn't mean anything by it ma'am,_" said Ajay quickly to avoid angering his superior.

"Don't worry about it. My younger brother is a lazy, foolish child. But he also happens to be about the only one who can tell what exactly happened to Heliopolis."

"_You suspect that Le Creuset will lie about the events that led to the destruction of Heliopolis then?_" asked Lucius.

"Through his teeth. Le Creuset is nothing but a snake," answered Diana. "He'll tell Zala what happened, then Zala will manipulate the facts and make Orb and the Earth Forces look like the villains while Le Creuset becomes the commander who tried everything to prevent Heliopolis's destruction."

"_What'd you expect from a couple of snakes like them?_" said Ajay in disgust.

All three of them were quite for a moment.

"_Sir. Should we get involved in this battle?_" asked Lucius.

"No. We'll watch and see how things play out, then report to Commander Alaric."

* * *

Chris dodged the energy blasts from the Surge and the Blitz and returned fire as best he could.

"_Strike, Raven, Dauntless, where are you? We need assistance,_" said Ensign Badgiruel over the radio.

"Little busy right now," Chris replied as he dodged attacks from the Blitz and the Surge while returning fire.

"_Same here, unless you want the Resolute bringing its weapons down on you?_" said Makoto, the answer to her question already obvious.

Chris didn't know how much longer they were gonna last. He'd barely been holding his own against one of the enemy machines. Now he was forced to fight two of them at the same time. And these guys weren't like the GINNs from before. The machines were the counterparts to the Strike, Dauntless, and his own machine, which meant that these machines were superior to the GINNs.

Both the Blitz and the Surge fired their claw weapons at him. Chris dove to avoid them and fired a few more rounds from his railguns at them. Suddenly, there was a warning beep sounded through the cockpit. It was his ammo indicator. He had only eight rounds left, which meant four shots and he was out.

"Damn. Gonna have to be careful now," he said to himself. "I can only fire when I'm absolutely certain I'll hit something."

The Blitz lunged at him with its beam saber. Chris parried the blow with his right saber and kicked the Blitz back. The Surge took this moment to attack with its solid swords. Chris managed to move out of the way. At that moment, a text message appeared on the Raven's console.

_Preparing to fire Lohengrins. Watch out._

Chris took a quick look around. Kira was fighting the Aegis and the Duel. Makoto was currently locked, sword and shield against dual sabers, with the Resolute. All of them were out of the danger zone.

A few moments later, the Lohengrin cannons emerged and fired. The two massive streaks of energy raced towards the location of the _Nazca_-class.

_Looks like Lieutenant La Flaga succeeded._

Which meant that the _Nazca_-class had taken serious damage and would likely fallback and recall the mobile suits.

Suddenly, a pair of stray shots from the Strike flew past him.

"Hey Kira, watch where you're firing. You're gonna either hit me or drain your battery."

"_Sorry,_" said Kira. He aimed at the Duel and fired.

Only to have nothing come out of the rifle. Seconds later, the Strike's Phase Shift armor deactivated.

"_Oh no! I'm out of power!_" said Kira.

Seeing the obvious opening, the Duel rushed towards the Strike, both of its beam sabers held in hand.

"Hold on Kira!" shouted Chris as he transformed the Raven into its mobile armor form and raced towards the powerless Strike.

At the same time, the Aegis also transformed and sped towards the Strike. It became a race to see who would get there first, the Raven, the Aegis, or the Duel.

The contest was virtually nullified an instant later by a beam lancing through space, nearly skewering the Duel, and a hail of bullets cutting off the Aegis.

The Raven's talons grabbed onto the shoulders of the Strike and pulled it away from the enemy, Chris turning the Raven towards the _Archangel_. None of the enemy machines fired at him, too distracted by the unexpected intervention.

* * *

"That was Erik's weapon… hey, idiot, why the hell did you get in our way?!" shouted Yzak.

"_Not me, nimrod,_" said Erik, voice dull. "_As it so happens, I'm out of bullets._" Yzak turned his eyes… and realized, to his shock, that it was the Dauntless that had fired on him, its large sword and the Resolute's double gatling shield held in its hands. The two machines were engaging in melee combat again, but it was obvious which held the advantage now.

"_I really need to remember to _not_ drop my main weapon next time,_" said Erik.

* * *

Makoto knew that she was running on luck now, and that she was effectively screwed, one mobile suit against six. Oh, she may have commandeered an effective ranged weapon for herself, and managed to get the Resolute to use up all of its bullets and missiles, but she could hardly fight against the six machines without backup—particularly since she was running low on power. Between the missiles and bullets her armor had taken, the power sent to the beam gatling, and the rifle shots that had drained the Exia's own battery of power and left it to draw power from the Dauntless, she wasn't doing to well.

Perhaps worse yet, she couldn't provide any further cover to Chris and Kira if any of the machines went after them.

It wasn't long before she realized her luck was better than she could've hoped for… and very, very bad at the same time.

* * *

Chris dodged fire from the Duel and the Buster. The Aegis however, was hot on his tail now. But thankfully, it wasn't firing at him and Kira the way the other two were.

_Why is that? One good shot and we're dead. So why isn't he firing?_

"_Archangel_. The Strike's out of power and I don't have much power left either. The Dauntless can't be much better off. Launch one of the Striker Packs or we're gonna be screwed, cause there's no way Makoto can take on all six of these guys, even if she does have the power to continue."

* * *

Athrun Zala stared at the Strike and the Raven, unsure of what to do. The soldier in him was saying fire at the Raven. But if he did that, the Strike would be caught in the explosion. But without its Phase Shift armor, the Strike would likely be heavily damaged, if it survived at all. If he fired at the Raven, Kira would likely…

"_Athrun! What are you waiting for?! Shoot them down!_" shouted Yzak.

Athrun couldn't fire. Not at Kira anyway.

"_Dammit! I'll do it myself!_" shouted Yzak as he aimed his rifle, preparing to fire it's grenade at the two mobile suits.

No! Kira…

Yzak was about to fire when suddenly, there was a loud "_YEEHAW!_" followed by a barrage of projectiles that flew at the Duel.

Most missed, but a few hit their mark, stunning Yzak. Everyone looked up. It was a Moebius Zero.

* * *

Chris heard a warning alarm go off in his cockpit. Someone had a target lock on him.

_Damn it, damn it, damn it…_

Suddenly there was a loud "_YEEHAW!_"

It was Lieutenant La Flaga. Chris breathed a sigh of relief.

"_Get the Strike lined up with the _Archangel_ so they can launch the Lightning Striker. I'll cover you,_" said La Flaga.

_Lightning Striker?_

"Right. Thanks."

"_Don't mention it. Now get going. I'm outnumbered three-to-one here, and the Blitz and Surge have decided to do the same to Makoto._"

Chris didn't need to be told twice. He pushed the Raven's engines to the max draining most of the remaining battery power. One of the _Archangel_'s catapults opened up. Chris turned the Raven and lined up both machines with the catapult.

"End of the line, Kira," said Chris as he released the Raven's grip on the Strike and flew away from the Strike.

"_Thanks Chris,_" replied Kira as he released the Aile Striker from the back of the Strike.

The Lightning Striker launched from the _Archangel_ towards the Strike. Chris noted the odd appearance of this one. The Sword and Launcher Striker's had consisted of several components, but this one seemed to be a single, solid component, with two large objects attached to a larger central component, about the size of the Aile Striker. Kira quickly attached the Lightning Striker, reactivated the Phase Shift, combined the two components of a cannon the size of the Launcher's Agni, and started firing at the enemy mobile suits.

* * *

Saul watched as the recharged Strike fired at them. The blasts were incredibly fast, and seemed even more destructive than the report on the large cannon that had taken off the arm of the commander's CGUE and blown a hole in Heliopolis all in one shot. Fortunately, everyone managed to dodge the shots, mostly, save for Yzak, who lost the right arm of his machine in the first blast. The others had much more minor damage—the Buster had lost a missile pod, the Aegis's shield had been utterly annihilated by one blast, and the Blitz had lost the Gleipnir to save the rest of Nicol's machine. The Surge's speed had saved Saul, and the close proximity of the Resolute to the winged prototype seemed to save it long enough for Erik to know better than allow that gun to come anywhere near being pointed at him. The winged mobile suit was now floating in close proximity to the Strike, Raven, and Moebius Zero, a formidable vanguard for the legged ship.

"_Damn it!_" cursed Yzak.

"_Yzak. We need to retreat,_" said Athrun.

"_WHAT?!_" shouted Yzak at the top of his lungs.

"The _Vesalius_ has been damaged," said Saul. "Or did you not even bother to look at the communiqué?"

"_And we're starting to run low on power as well,_" said Athrun.

"_I agree with Athrun._" said Nicol. "_If we don't fall back soon, it will be our turn to run out of power._"

"Yeah," said Saul as he glanced at his own power indicator. "I'm running on fumes as it is. We should fall back."

* * *

Chris breathed another sigh of relief as he watched the six enemy mobile suits retreat. They had won. Chris found himself wondering how much longer these guys were gonna be chasing them.

Something told him that they weren't going away any time soon.

* * *

"_Wow. Even with a two-to-one mobile suit advantage, they still couldn't even destroy one mobile suit,_" said Ajay. "_That's sad. Real sad._"

"_Perhaps that's a testament to the skill of the pilots of the three mobile suits and the crew of the ship,_" said Lucius.

"Perhaps. Or perhaps it was just luck," said Diana. "We're returning to the Odin."

"_Yes ma'am._"

"_Yeah boss._"

* * *

**Author's Note: So, did everyone like that? I'm sure a fair number of you were surprised--I switched the Launcher Striker out for the Lightning Striker in the PS down scene, and John Alaric is still with the 11th fleet, which is known (per ZAFT tradition) as the Alaric Team here. Also, their _Nazca_-class ships are a recent addition, since the destroyers presumably only entered construction two to four months before the start of the show, so they're still a very new addition to the ZAFT space forces.**

**Regarding the sheer power of the Lightning Striker's electromagnetic cannon: the purpose behind the Lightning Striker was to extend the operating time of the Strike. It does so by a hundred and fifty percent. But the purpose of its lone weapon, the Type 70-31 Electromagnetic Cannon, was to somewhat bridge the gap between the Strike's firepower and that of the Freedom (it was originally constructed much later). Here, I keep that in mind. The cannon is even more powerful than the Strike's Agni. In fact, at this point, it is the most powerful mobile suit weapon in existence. This, however, comes at the cost of additional weapons. The Strike only has the Igelstellungs and Armor Schneiders to fall back on if something should happen to its cannon, and at that point, the extra operating time isn't going to matter as much. That means we'll only see the Lightning one or two more times. In fact, aside from the Aile and Gunbarrel Strikers, most of them will only be used two or three times. Just a reminder: throughout all of SEED (and even Destiny), the Strike only employed the Sword Striker three times: the collapse of Heliopolis, the underwater battle against the ZnO, and the destruction of the Blitz.**

**Also, I wasn't planning on Makoto using the Resolute's own double gatling against it like that, but somehow, I find it amusing. I'd have her keep it, except that the weapon really isn't in keeping with the Dauntless's close combat nature. Even its machine cannons are relatively short range, and the rifle component of the Exia is supposed to be its only real ranged weapon. I did find Erik calling Yzak a nimrod amusing as well...**

**P.S. (to Akatsuki Leader13): if you do a timeline look up, then the battle portrayed in episode 21 is described as the Waltfeld Team being "wiped out" in battle with the _Archangel_. They're just never referred to as the Waltfeld Team in the anime proper.**

**Anyways, I posted that P.S. more for anyone who wants to complain about me not using "11th fleet" here than to send a message to Akatsuki Leader13. ZAFT's organization is based on various teams that are frequently created, disbanded, and reorganized, and which generally always consist of at least one ship and an indeterminate number of mobile suits.**

**Alright then, please leave a review! Ja ne! I'll probably next see you Saturday, for the post of Phase 15 of The White Queen.  
**


	6. Phase 05: Vanishing Gundam

**I wasn't gonna post this until I'd gotten chapter 15 of The White Queen written, but...**

**Oh, and once again, I own nothing except the differences between this chapter and the one from Akatsuki Leader13, and my own OCs and OMSs.**

**Also, my apologies, but John doesn't do much in this chapter. Fear not! He'll do more in the future! Maybe not as much as in _Gundam SEED: A Retelling_ (since he isn't with the _Archangel_ here), but certainly more than he did here. He'll be like Andrew Waltfeld, except he's not gonna wind up seemingly dead for half the series.  
**

* * *

Phase Five: Vanishing Gundam

January 25 C.E. 71

* * *

Aboard the _Gamow_

"Damn it!" shouted Yzak. "There were six of us and only three of them! And we still lost!"

Saul shook his head and turned away as Yzak continued to rant and rave about their defeat. Yzak really needed to learn some anger management.

Yzak grabbed Athrun and slammed him into the lockers on the wall. "And what the hell was that stunt?! You had a clear shot! You could have destroyed them both! Why didn't you?!"

Saul had to admit. That puzzled him as well. Athrun had a fairly large window of opportunity to fire upon and destroy both the Raven and Strike in a single blow. Yet, he didn't.

"That's enough Yzak!" shouted Nicol. "The enemy's out there! Not in here!"

Yzak let go of Athrun but he was still pretty pissed off. "It's because of this coward that we lost to three _Naturals_!"

Saul sighed. "Again Yzak, you're underestimating Naturals. But that doesn't matter at the moment." He turned to face his teammates. "Those pilots weren't Naturals. They were Coordinators."

Nicol, Dearka and Yzak gave looks of surprise and disbelief while Athrun looked away and Erik nodded in agreement.

"What? No way," said Yzak.

"How can you be so sure?" asked Nicol.

"Simple. The pilot of the Raven told me himself," replied Saul. "And frankly, I can't see any reason to lie about that."

Yzak, if it was even possible, grew angrier. "So it's a trio of traitors piloting those things? Than we'll just have to destroy them."

"Traitor?" scoffed Erik. "Hardly. Genetics don't define who we are." Saul nodded in agreement while Yzak glared at Erik.

"Our orders are to destroy the mobile suits anyways, so it doesn't matter," said Saul, earning an annoyed growl from Yzak.

None of them noticed Athrun's depressed expression. Or were even remotely aware of his secret.

* * *

Aboard the Bridge of the _Odin_

"Bring us towards the _Gamow_ and _Vesalius_. Hail the _Vesalius_ when we're in range," ordered Diana Kessel as she, Lucius, and Ajay stepped onto the bridge of the _Odin_.

"Aye sir," said Captain Lee as crew of the _Odin_ followed her orders.

She sat down in her—temporary—chair as the _Odin_, its sister ships, the _Einherjar_ and the _Valkyrie_, took off towards the two ZAFT warships. A few minutes later, the bridge of the _Vesalius _appeared on the main screen as John Alaric, ZAFT's somewhat legendary Black Hawk, stepped onto the bridge of the _Odin_.

"Ah...Commander Alaric." the masked snake of a man said. "To what do we owe the pleasure of a visit from the your forces?"

"Someone has to keep an objective record of your colossal failure and incompetence," said Diana bluntly. John was quiet, hiding a smile. He often let her act as spokesperson when it came to speaking out against Le Creuset and Patrick Zala. She seemed a natural at it. "The failure to destroy a new warship in drydock, involvement in the destruction of neutral, civilian colony, the failure to capture not one, but three prototype mobile suits, repeated failures to capture or destroy said machines and warship and of course, the latest failure. Despite the fact that you had two warships and six mobile suits, you still lost to a single warship, three mobile suits and a lone mobile armor. Frankly, I don't see how you can escape punishment for all of this. Even with Patrick Zala helping you out."

"We shall see," replied Le Creuset smugly. "Speaking of the council, they've recalled the _Vesalius_ back. I was going to order the _Gamow_ to continue following the legged ship. If you wish, you can take command of the _Gamow_ and try your luck at catching the legged ship."

They all immediately knew what Le Creuset was attempting to accomplish. He wanted John to try and fail like he had. So he could discredit him and the men and women under his command. Of course, it was also a tremendous gamble as well. If the Alaric Team succeeded, it would only further show his incompetence. John stepped forward.

"We'll play your game, Le Creuset. But first, we require a copy of all of the data of the captured machines and any data on the legged ship and it's mobile suits."

"Of course. I'll have a copy transferred to you momentarily. Good luck, Commander Alaric. You're going to need it with the legged ship now inside Artemis."

"I don't need luck Le Creuset."

"Oh, by the way, Miss Kessel, Mu La Flaga is on board the legged ship," said Le Creuset with a smirk. "I thought you would want to know."

Most of the _Odin_'s bridge crew glanced at her. They all knew of her desire to defeat the Hawk of Endymion after he had humiliated her at Endymion. She had been the fifth mobile suit at Endymion that Mu La Flaga had shot down. Though she survived, she had never forgotten the humiliation of being shot down by a lone mobile armor.

"I was already aware Le Creuset. There's only one Moebius Zero pilot left, La Flaga," she said coldly as she stood up. "We will shatter the Umbrella of Artemis and capture the legged ship and its mobile suits."

* * *

Artemis Base

"Well, it seems that you are indeed Lieutenants Murrue Ramius, Mu La Flaga and Ensign Natarle Badgiruel," the portly commander said, turning from his computer to face the three Earth Forces officers. "I am Gerard Garcia, Commander of Artemis Base."

Murrue was about to speak when Garcia interrupted, "Sorry about that. But we couldn't be too careful now. After all, you were an unidentified ship being followed by two ZAFT warships. But now that that's been cleared up. I welcome you to Artemis Base for however long you wish to stay."

Murrue didn't like this man. His voice and demeanor was like a bureaucrat's. He didn't give a damn about anyone on board the _Archangel_. All this man cared about was getting his hands on the _Archangel_ and the mobile suits and the reward he would get for giving them to his superior. "Thank you Commander," said Murrue politely. _Diplomacy…_ she thought to herself. "But all we need is supplies and we'll be on our way."

"I'm afraid that's out of the question. Although the damaged _Nazca_-class has withdrawn, the _Laurasia_-class is still out there, on the edge of our sensors. And it's not alone," said Garcia as he typed a command into the computer.

The large screen behind Garcia's desk showed the _Laurasia_-class and three very distinct _Nazca_-class warships. Their hulls were dark gray with red streaks running along the underbellies and tops of the warships. On the sides of the warships were a number of red skulls. One for each victory. On the doors of the mobile suit catapult was a black hawk. There were also a number of images painted on the hulls. Skulls, flames, sword, just to name a few. The paint job was solely a means of intimidation. And Murrue had to admit, it was certainly effective.

Everyone there knew what those warships were. ZAFT's dreaded Alaric Team. The best space-based combat unit fighting in the war. Feared and respected by both sides, the Alaric Team had been present in just about every major space battle of the war. And more often than not, they had been the cause of many of the Earth Forces defeats in those battles. Led by the brilliant John Alaric, the team was known for their extensive use of high-speed and guerrilla tactics, and had on numerous occasions devastated Earth Forces battle groups many times their size.

"Damn," cursed Mu. "I hoped I'd never see that team again after Endymion."

"As you can see, you've attracted a lot of attention. Why would you want to go out with the Alaric Team chasing after you?" asked Garcia as a smirk formed on his lips. "Here you're all safe. They can't get close to us without us detecting them and activating the Umbrella. And nothing can get through the barrier. They'll eventually get tried of waiting and leave. It happens all the time."

"You've clearly never seen the Alaric Team in combat," said Mu. "Their reputation is well deserved."

"I have Lieutenant La Flaga. I was at Endymion. I know just how vicious they are," replied Garcia. "But not even they can penetrate this base."

"Don't underestimate John Alaric and his team," said Mu. "A lot of better commanders have and died because of it."

"In any case, I suggest that you get some R&R," said Garcia, completely ignoring Mu. "You appear to be exhausted. I'll have some rooms prepared for you."

Garcia pushed the call button on his desk. A pair of guards entered the room. Garcia hadn't said it, but they all knew. The entire crew of the _Archangel _and their passengers were prisoners. Prisoners of their own allies.

* * *

Aboard the _Gamow_

Thirty Minutes Later

Saul sighed as he made his way down the corridors of the _Gamow_. With Le Creuset, Athrun and the _Vesalius_ gone, the _Gamow_ was now for the time being under the command of the Black Hawk and, dreadfully enough, his sister. He could already feel her whips at his back.

"Hey Saul," called Dearka from behind.

Saul turned to his teammate. "Yeah? What?"

"I'm curious about your sister and the Alaric Team. We're gonna be working with them so I figured I should ask you."

"Well, I don't know much about the Alaric Team beyond what everybody else knows. But my sister, that's a whole other story. Let me give you the only advice you'll need for dealing with her. Don't lie to her, don't argue with her and do what ever she tells you to do. And you'll avoid castration."

Dearka stared at him in disbelief. "You're kidding, right?"

Saul stared back him with a dead serious expression. "Nope."

"Oh man. She sounds crazy."

"Not really. But she'll kick your ass if you piss her off," he replied. "In fact, she broke a some idiot's arms after he almost got her squad killed during a training exercise."

"Damn. That's one woman I wouldn't wanna piss off," said Dearka.

Saul nodded. "Tell me about it."

"How are you even related to someone like that?"

"Actually, I'm the black sheep of the family. My parents are more like her than me." Saul sighed and added, "Well, we got a couple of hours until the briefing, so I'm gonna take a nap. See ya later."

"See you then."

A few minutes later, Saul entered his quarters and crashed on his bed. He glanced at the bed opposite his. Rusty's bed.

Saul sighed. It was hard to believe that his friend was dead. He found it strange. Just this morning, he had talked, joked and laughed with him, Miguel and the others. And now they were dead. Gone forever. He remembered Matthew talking about how when the war was over, he was going to propose to his girlfriend. He remembered Miguel's reason for becoming a soldier in the first place, to earn money for his sick younger brother. Now who would help his brother? Who ever said 'war is hell' was right.

_BEEP… BEEP… BEEP…_

Saul groaned. Someone was calling him. He got up and moved to the terminal built into his desk. He pushed the call button. "Yes?"

"A private message from the _Odin_ for you," said the Comm officer.

Saul sighed. It was his sister. "Patch it through."

The screen changed to the face of his sister. "_Is this channel secure?_" she asked.

"Give me a moment," replied Saul as he typed in a series of commands on the terminal. "Oh. And it's nice to see you too, sis."

Saul had hacked the _Gamow_'s systems within a few hours of coming on board. It had been painfully easy to hack. And so were most normal military computers for that matter. But that was a whole other story.

"Okay. It's secure," said Saul. "What do you want?"

"_Any and all unedited records from all operations during the incident at Heliopolis and all the data on the Earth Forces mobile suits and the legged ship. I don't trust the data he gave us,_" his sister said in her usual cold and blunt tone.

"Is that all? I thought this was going to be something hard," said Saul as he started typing.

A moment later, he transferred a copy of all the data on the mobile suits and legged ship to the _Odin_. "There's the mobile suit data," he said as he started searching for the rest of the data she wanted. "And here comes the… What?!"

"_What is it?_"

Saul stared in disbelief at the screen. "All the data on Heliopolis and its destruction is gone…" he said as searched for some trace of the data. "There's no trace of it. All the data is completely gone."

"_Le Creuset, that sneaky bastard,_" Diana cursed. "_He must have removed all traces of what really happened just in case I'd try something like this. And I almost had him too._"

"You really hate Le Creuset," commented Saul.

"_Our parents worry a lot about Patrick Zala,_" said Diana. "_And while Zala is dangerous, he is little more than a mad dog. Wild, angry, predictable. The truly dangerous one is Le Creuset. The man is a viper hiding in the bushes, waiting to strike upon the unsuspecting victim. A man like that is the one to truly fear._"

* * *

January 26 C.E. 71

Aboard the _Gamow_

The top soldiers of the Alaric Team, the captain of the _Gamow_ and the remaining pilots of the Le Creuset Team were gathered around the display table in the back of the bridge. The screen of the table displayed a read out of the Artemis Base and it's Umbrella shield.

There were six so-called officers of the Alaric. It's commander, his second-in-command, and their four top troops. First was Lucius Raveshaw, the second officer of the Alaric Team. A dark-skinned man of average size and height, clad in a ZAFT red coat uniform. His white hair was cut in a standard military style. His red eyes always seemed like they were studying and analyzing everyone and everything around him.

Standing next to him was someone whom many considered to be the polar opposite of Lucius, Ajay Cortez. Also clad in a red uniform and a toothpick in his mouth, Ajay was a bit thinner and taller than Lucius. Ajay's demeanor and stance were quite different from his comrade. Where Lucius was standing straight and at attention, like a proper soldier, Ajay was relaxed and laid-back. His long, dirty blond hair was tied into a loose ponytail.

The next officer was a giant of a man, clad in a white uniform. Basque Gideon, Commander of the _Einherjar_ and its mobile suits. Basque's head was almost entirely shaved bald, except for a long black braided ponytail and a matching beard and mustache.

The fourth officer was a woman, wearing a white uniform with male pants instead of the female skirt. Lisa DaCosta, commander of the _Valkyrie_ and its mobile suits. She had short brown hair and green eyes.

Then there was the Ice Queen of the Alaric Team herself, Diana Kessel. Clad in a white uniform with male pants, she served as the day-to-day commander of the _Odin_ and its mobile suits. Her eyes were an icy blue, much like her icy demeanor. She had short, straight black hair.

Finally, there was John Alaric, the Black Hawk himself, leader of the team. A man considered by many to be the best pilot either side had to offer.

"The Umbrella of Artemis is a lightwave barrier that blocks any and all incoming attacks. But it also blocks their attacks as well." said Lucius Raveshaw.

"So basically, we can't do anything and they can't do anything," said Dearka. "What a useless weapon."

"Perhaps. But as a purely defensive device, it's quite formidable." said Lucius. "Added to this is the strategic unimportance of the Artemis Base. Because of its unimportance, no one has come up with a means to break the shield. However, this works to our advantage as well."

"What? How does that help us?" asked Yzak.

"Simple," said Ajay smugly. "All the guys inside Artemis have grown fat, lazy and complacent. They think that nothing can break through their precocious Umbrella. Which means when we do break it, they'll run around in shock like a chicken with it's head cut off."

"Correct," said Lucius.

"Let's just smash this 'Umbrella of Artemis' already." said Basque.

"Easier said than done," said Lucius. "I doubt anything short of a nuclear explosion could damage the barrier."

"Okay. So what's the plan? Wait for them to come out?" said Dearka with a chuckle.

"Quit joking around Dearka," said an annoyed Yzak. "What will the commander say when he gets back, and we haven't finished this off? Do you want to be the one to tell him that we did nothing?"

"Enough," said Diana. "The Umbrella of Artemis will fall today."

"And just how are we gonna do that?" asked Dearka. "As long as the shield is up, we can't attack."

"And the only time they turn the Umbrella off is when we're out of their sensor range," added Saul. "But the second we get close to them, they'll raise it back up again."

"I believe your sister and Commander Alaric are thinking of the same strategy Nicol and I found," said Erik mildly, glancing at the two in question.

"Correct," said John, nodding.

"There is a way to break that shield and shatter Artemis," said Diana. "The Blitz."

* * *

The _Odin_, the _Einherjar_, the _Valkyrie_, and the _Gamow_ all began to turn around, preparing to leave the area. As they did, the _Gamow_'s hanger opened up and the Blitz launched. A moment later, it disappeared from view and from sensors.

* * *

"Mirage Colloid. It seems fitting for Nicol. A weapon fit for a coward," commented Dearka as they waited for their moment to launch.

"Nicol's not a coward," said Saul, defending his friend. "He's the bravest of us all. He chose to go to war when he could have just as easily didn't have to. The four of us joined ZAFT for our own reasons. But Nicol simply wants to protect the PLANTs. Frankly, I don't think that I could ever do what he does."

"Oh? Why did you join ZAFT then?" asked Dearka.

"To get my parents and my sister off my back," replied Saul. "I was fated to join ZAFT the moment I was born. So I'm just going with the flow."

* * *

The four ZAFT warship then left the sensor range of the Artemis Base and waited for the Blitz to finish it's mission.

A few minutes later, the officers of Artemis deactivated the barrier, blissfully unaware of the invisible mobile suit approaching.

Not that everyone at Artemis was as ignorant as the officers.

* * *

The _Archangel_

Inside the Artemis Base

Chris was getting annoyed at this whole situation. As soon as they docked in Artemis, the ship had been boarded and they had been arrested. Of course, the soldiers hadn't said they were under arrest. But it was a joke. No doubt, the commander of this base wanted to present this ship and the mobile suits on board to the Eurasian government. And probably get promoted for it.

Now all the civilians and the entire crew, minus Lieutenant Ramius, Mu, and Ensign Badgiruel, were crammed into the mess hall of the ship with armed soldiers standing guard, waiting. And they had been waiting for a number of hours already.

Makoto, at the very least, didn't seem to mind all that much, though the others tended to avoid looking at her. Somehow, the pink volunteer uniform just didn't look right on her.

Somehow, the girl had convinced Murrue to let her see some of the basic data on the ten Gundams. None of the real mechanics or inner workings, just things like capabilities. Like everyone else, Makoto and Murrue suspected they'd be facing the stolen machines again. She now had it all on her compact computer—a PDA sized laptop. It was difficult to operate, and in general less useful than normal computers (not to mention, much more expensive), but the small size made up for it.

"Oh shit," said Makoto quietly, drawing the attention of the others. "Um… Chief Neumann?"

"Yes?" asked the blue-haired ship pilot.

"The Umbrella shield… it's only active when enemies are within the defense perimeter, right?" asked Makoto.

"Yeah…" said Neumann, not knowing where she was going with this. Everyone else was curious as well.

"Is that perimeter… greater than the operational range of the Blitz with Mirage Colloid deployed?" asked Makoto. The eyes of the _Archangel_ crew widened in horror, and most internally swore. Chris, Kira, Flay, and the volunteers were left blinking in confusion.

"Mirage Colloid?" asked Chris.

"An active cloak, rendering it invisible to all forms of detection," said Makoto. "An absolute stealth system. The ZAFT soldiers are anything but stupid—they may not have had time to learn the full capabilities of the Blitz in the last battle, but they know about the Mirage Colloid by now."

"Which means they're coming for us any minute now," said Murdoch. "Damn… we need to get you three to your mobile suits."

Makoto, Chris, and Kira nodded in agreement as the mess hall doors opened and a fat toad of a commander stepped through.

"Here's our chance," whispered Makoto. Neumann nodded.

"Play along for now," he said quietly, though the enhanced hearing of the Coordinators allowed all four of them to hear it.

"I am Commander Gerard Garcia," said the officer. "Who are the pilots of the mobile suits in the hanger?"

"What? You mean the captain didn't tell you?" said one of the bridge officers. Chris didn't know his name. "Or do you just not have the clearance to know?"

One of the soldiers punched the man. "Who are the pilots?" said Garcia in a more forceful tone.

Immediately, the three pilots in question realized what was going on: if they simply stepped forward, the Artemis commander would be immediately suspicious, and it was obvious that the man could not be trusted.

"Isn't it obvious?" said Neumann. "It was Lieutenant La Flaga, Ensign Badgiruel, and myself."

Garcia smirked. "I don't think so. We were watching the battle. There was a Moebius Zero and La Flaga is the only Zero pilot left. And Badgiruel and yourself are bridge officers, not pilots. So, who are the pilots?"

No one said anything. Garcia scanned the room, trying to figure out who the pilots were. "Hmm… I wonder," said Garcia as he started walking towards where they were sitting. "The captain of this ship is a woman. So perhaps the pilots are women."

Garcia stopped where Chris, Kira, Makoto, and the others were sitting. Makoto had already concealed her computer. "And perhaps, they're disguised as civilians so we won't suspect them of being the pilots," he said before he grabbed Flay's arm and pulled her out of her seat.

"Hey! Let me go!" shouted Flay.

Sai shot up out of his seat. "Leave her alone!" he shouted.

Garcia backhanded Sai, sending him crashing into the table. Before anything else happened, Kira stood up. "Let her go! I'm the one you want!" he said.

Garcia tossed Flay into the arms of a guard. "You expect me to believe that a mere child was piloting one of those mobile suits. Who are the real pilots, brat?!"

Garcia then punched Kira in the face. Or would have if Kira wasn't a Coordinator. Kira sidestepped the blow, grabbed Garcia's wrist and threw the fat commander to the ground. One of the soldiers grabbed Kira, restraining him.

"See!" said a panicking Flay. "He is the pilot! He's a Coordinator!"

Garcia's eyes lit up as he got up. "Then that changes everything," he said, eying Kira. "Who are the other pilots?"

Kira didn't say anything.

"Very well then. Take the two of the them to interrogation. I want the name of those other pilots."

Flay's eyes widened in shock and she opened her mouth to say something. But before she could, Chris stood up. "I'm one of the other pilots. You can leave her alone now."

Garcia smiled. "You're a Coordinator as well?"

"Would take my word on it or would prefer to prove it by kicking your ass like Kira just did?"

A guard standing next to him punched him in the side of the head. Chris stumbled from the impact of the blow but managed to stay standing. He quickly turned to the soldier, slipping into a martial arts stance, and kicked the guard the stomach, sending him crashing onto the table behind him. Chris then heard the sound of several guns cocking.

_Yeah… I'm gonna stop while I'm ahead._

Chris sighed as he raised his hands in surrender.

"Now that was too hard," said Garcia as he signaled several of the guards. "Now, where's the last pilot?"

"Here," said Makoto, standing up and locking eyes with a still smirking Garcia.

"Another Coordinator?" he said.

"That's right," said Makoto. "Is that a problem?"

"Not at all," said Garcia.

"Then let's go, I'll feel more comfortable at the controls of the Dauntless anyway," said Makoto. "After all… would you trust the defenses of a base whose commander is holding you captive?"

Garcia merely continued to smirk as he motioned for the guards to escort the three Coordinators to the hangar.

"Oh, and take the girl too," he said, motioning to Flay, whose eyes widened. Makoto fingers curled into a fist.

_Not yet…_ she thought to herself, taking slow, deep breaths. _If we start a fight here, these Eurasian idiots will almost certainly end up killing a few of the refugees._

* * *

_Archangel_ Hangar

"So you want us to remove the locks on OSs, right?" asked Kira.

"For starters. But I imagine that the three of you could do a lot more than just that," said Garcia. "For example, you could analyze the designs of these machines and build another or even a weapon that's effective against these kinds of mobile suits."

"Well first off, we're students from Orb. Not soldiers. Not some high-paid military contractors," said Chris. "So why would we even do such a thing?"

"Ah… But the three of you are already traitors to your fellow Coordinators," said Garcia smugly.

"Traitors…" said Kira, stunned by Garcia's words.

"I have no idea what your reasons were. Nor do I care. But regardless, you three did betray your own people."

"That's a lie," said Chris. "Don't listen to this idiot, Kira. We're not traitors to anyone."

"Then why were the three of you fighting for the Earth Alliance against ZAFT soldiers?" asked Garcia, still in his smug attitude.

"Our genes don't define who we are," said Makoto. "That sort of thinking is what leads to genocide. We're not part of ZAFT, the PLANTs, or the Earth Forces. Our 'people' are those that we have chosen as our family and friends—regardless of whether their genes have or have not been modified."

"Very well then," said Garcia, turning to one of his men. "Throw the girl out an airlock."

Kira's, Chris's and Flay's eyes all widened in horror, while Makoto's narrowed in anger. "Unless of course, you wish to remove the locks."

"We never said we wouldn't," said Makoto. "We merely pointed out that we're not soldiers—and I don't believe you have the authority to simply draft citizens of Orb." Of course, a part of her wished Garcia would try to draft her. She'd _love_ the look on his face when it came down on his head, as all blame for the very public embarrassment Eurasia would face would be placed on him.

Kira and Chris nodded and the three shared a look between them before nodding all at once.

Makoto was the first to react, lashing out and kicking a rifle out of the hands of one of the guards. Kira decked another guard, and Chris, who was nearest to Flay, pushed the redhead to the floor as he dropped down to kick the feet out from under another soldier.

Makoto practically seemed a blur, seeming to dodge the bullets of two more guards before she delivered a roundhouse kick to their heads.

Seconds later, it was all over, the remaining guards directly around them subdued, and a gun in Makoto's hand, held to the back of Garcia's head.

"We don't have time for your nonsense," she said coldly.

At that instant, there was a loud noise, like an explosion, and a tremor shook the base. Followed by more tremors and noises. Anyone with half a brain could tell what was happening. The base was under attack. Someone had gotten through the Umbrella of Artemis.

"And that's why," said Chris, helping Flay to her feet and running for the Raven, hand on her wrist. Kira ran for the Strike.

"Get your men and get off our ship," said Makoto. "You've got more important things to do than keep your own allies prisoner."

"You traitors," growled Garcia.

"My loyalty, for now, is to the crew of the _Archangel_," replied Makoto as the Strike and Raven began to move. "And you betrayed our trust first." Makoto dropped the gun and knocked Garcia's feet out from under him before making a mad dash for the Dauntless.

"Thank you," said Flay as she squeezed into the space between the seat and wall of the Raven.

"Don't mention it," replied Chris. "Oh, and don't touch anything."

Chris opened up the comm. to the Strike. "Kira, let's get out of here and see what we can do."

"_Right,_" said Kira as he loaded the Sword Striker onto the Strike.

"You know, you really shouldn't have said that," Chris said to Flay.

"What?"

"What you said in the mess hall. You shouldn't have told them that Kira was a Coordinator."

"But it was the truth. And besides, they're our allies," said Flay weakly, in her defense.

"Allies? Perhaps Eurasia is an ally. But that commander doesn't give a damn about us. All he cares about is the promotion he'll get for handing over the _Archangel_ and these mobile suits to his superiors. Hell, he was about to throw you out an airlock if we didn't do what he wanted," said Chris. "The world isn't black and white, Flay. So don't think of everything as that."

Flay didn't say anything as the Raven and the Strike launched from the _Archangel_ into growing chaos of the Artemis Base port.

Behind them, the Dauntless moved onto the catapult.

* * *

The _Odin_, the _Einherjar_, the _Valkyrie_, and the _Gamow_ were closing in on Artemis. With its shield disabled, they had an opening. And now it was time to finish it off.

The Duel, the Buster, the Resolute, the Surge and the custom mobile suits of the Alaric Team were all quickly launched from the warships.

"Listen up men," said Diana Kessel over the comm. John was sitting this particular mission out—partially because he didn't want to be anywhere near Diana when she got the Hawk of Endymion in her sights. "Team 3, will enter the hanger first. Focus your fire on the docked ships and the base itself. Team 1 will follow Team 3 and attack the legged ship while Team 2 will remain behind in reserve to catch escaping ships. I want the legged ship's engines and weapons disabled. As well as the three mobile suits disabled and captured. If that is not possible, then destroy them. But leave the Moebius Zero to me. Understand?"

Only her brother and the rest of the Le Creuset Team responded. The men and women under her command were well trained and didn't need to respond. They would follow out her orders to the letter.

"Good. Let us end both Artemis and the legged ship here and now," she said. "For the Black Hawk!"

"_For the Black Hawk!_" the pilots of the Alaric Team shouted back before the mobile suits rocketed off towards the Artemis Base and their prey.

Mobile armors scrambled out of the large main hanger, in an attempt to engage them. But they were no match for the aces of the Alaric Team. A hail of bullets and beams tore through mobile armors. Gideon's GINN and the rest of the GINNs of the _Einherjar _raced ahead of the others. The Team 3 were all heavy weapons experts and were armed accordingly. Several heavy cannons and missiles were fired off, destroying several warships.

Basque roared as his GINN, Bruticus, charged forward, firing off his heavy cannon and gatling guns while the rest of his team followed behind. Many of the docked vessels in the front of the hanger were quickly crippled or destroyed.

"Team 1, move out," ordered Diana.

The mobile suits of the _Odin _and the Le Creuset team raced into the massive hanger. They split up, searching for the legged ship and firing upon the mobile armors that were vainly trying to defend their base. They were all minor annoyances that were trying to stop them from reaching their objective. Diana fired off a few rounds at one mobile armor, clipping its engines and causing it to crash into the command center of the base, no doubt, taking the base commander with it.

She quickly and easily destroyed three more mobile armors. That was a problem that irritated her. It was too easy. True, the Earth Forces had numbers. But their mobile armors were vastly inferior compared to ZAFT's mobile suits. Truth be told, Diana was growing bored with the war. ZAFT's technology was just too superior. And without challenging opponents… well, how could she and her men improve if their opponents were all weak? When she learned that the Earth Forces were building mobile suits, she was actually quite happy. It would finally bring a balance to this war and actually challenge her.

It wasn't long before she, her brother, and his three teammates spotted the legged ship and it's mobile suits. The Blitz was also there, battling the Strike, Raven, and Dauntless, and losing badly. However, much to Diana's annoyance, there was no Moebius Zero. No Mu La Flaga.

"_Time to end this,_" said Yzak he opened fire on the Strike.

Diana, Saul, Erik and Dearka all followed the Duel, firing on the trio of Earth Force's mobile suits. The Raven, Strike and Dauntless dodged their shots and the Raven returned fire with it's railguns at the Buster and Duel while the Dauntless let loose with its sword rifle, shoulder cannons, and stolen double beam gatling at the Resolute, and the Strike threw its beam boomerang at the Panther before turning back to the Blitz. Diana effortlessly dodged the incoming weapon and it's rebound, only to come face to face with the Dauntless with its sword descending on her. But she wasn't some novice pilot; she was the second-in-command of the best space-combat unit in all of ZAFT. Despite this, she barely managed to sidestep the attack, losing her machine's left arm in the process.

"_Leave her alone!_" Saul shouted, firing his Hakenfaust claw at the Dauntless.

The Dauntless pulled back, avoiding the claw weapon and the fire from the Resolute's own double beam gatling. Diana took that momentary distraction to fire off a burst of rounds at the mobile suit. But her bullets did nothing against the Phase Shift armor of the machine.

_Amazing. These mobile suits make even our machines inferior._

"_You alright, sis?_" asked Saul.

Diana was about to respond, when she noticed the legged ship was turning around. It was heading towards the open rear hanger door. "I'm fine. Stop the legged ship!"

Huge explosions started tearing through the hanger. The Earth Forces mobile suits were falling back to the legged ship.

"_You're not getting away this time!_" shouted Yzak, firing at the retreating mobile suits.

Unfortunately, at that very moment, a massive explosion tore through the hanger, creating a fireball that separated them from the fleeing ship.

_It seems Basque and his men were quicker that I thought they'd be,_ thought Diana as the legged ship slipped from their grasp.

"_No!_" shouted Yzak in rage and frustration.

"The base is coming apart," said Diana. "All forces: fall back. Repeat, fall back."

All of the ZAFT forces started fleeing the crumbling base. They had destroyed the Artemis Base, but failed in their ultimate objective. The capture or destruction of the legged ship and its mobile suits. But as long as that ship was in space, she and Alaric Team would hunt them. Nothing ever escaped their grasp for very long.

* * *

_Archangel_ Hanger

Chris breathed a sigh of relief as he shut down the Raven. Fighting in that enclosed space had been difficult to say the least. Not to mention that the whole base was falling apart all around them. It was a miracle that they had managed to escape at all.

He glanced at Flay. The girl was quite pale and seemed to be in a daze. He didn't blame her. He had been pretty much the same after his first battle. He remembered that feeling of being scared, yet exhilarated after his first battle. But that fear he had felt his first time was gone. Which left him with a lingering thought.

_Have I truly gotten that use to battle already?_

"Are you alright Flay?" he asked.

Flay blinked a few times. "Huh? Oh sorry. I'll be fine," she said, a slight tremor in voice.

"That's good. Sai would probably try to kill me if something happened to you."

"Is that what a battle is like?" asked Flay suddenly, in a quiet voice.

Chris paused for a moment, unsure of what to say. "From what I've experienced, yes."

"How can you just go into battle like that? How can anyone go into battle?"

"I don't know. I'm not fighting battles. I'm just trying to protect the few important people I have left," replied Chris. "That's what I've ever been doing since I first used the Raven."

"Few important people you have left?"

Chris closed his eyes for a moment. "That's something I do not wish to talk about. So please, respect my privacy."

Chris opened up the cockpit and stepped out as Kira and Makoto did the same.

"Hey kids!" shouted Mu from hanger floor. "That was some impressive fighting back there, though I wish you hadn't lost that double gatling you stole from the Resolute! That thing was sweet!"

Chris smiled. "Thanks!" he shouted back.

At that moment, Flay stepped out of the cockpit.

"Miss Allster?!" a very surprised Mu shouted. "What are you doing in the cockpit?!"

"It's a long story!" Chris shouted back.

He turned to Flay. "Do you need a hand getting down?"

"Ah… Sure."

Chris wrapped an arm around Flay and then pushed off the edge of the cockpit hatch, sending them floating down to the hanger floor. When reached the floor, he let go of Flay. "There you go. You better go find Sai, I imagine he's very worried about you right now."

"Thank you," said Flay before leaving the hanger.

"So, is she your girlfriend?" asked Mu.

"What?!" he shouted, slightly blushing, he hoped from embarrassment. "No. Flay isn't my girlfriend."

"That's right," said Makoto as she smacked Mu in the back of the head playfully. "She's arranged to marry Sai."

"And I'm not kind of person that breaks a couple up like that for his own selfish reasons," added Chris.

"Well anyway, I'm impressed that you managed to hold your own against members of ZAFT's Alaric Team," said Mu.

"What?" said Makoto in surprise. "You mean that was the Alaric Team out there?"

"Yeah," said Mu.

"The Alaric Team… I've never heard of them," said Kira.

"Nor have I," said Chris.

"C'mon. Seriously?" said Mu, surprised by their reaction.

"The Alaric Team is elite force that ZAFT propaganda is always talking about and showing off," said Makoto. "And to my knowledge, for very good reason."

"Good reason, yeah," said Mu. "They're—"

"The most dominate force in space, right?" said Makoto. Mu glared at her.

"Yes," he said. "And they've been a real nightmare for us."

"Really?" asked Kira. "Are they that strong?"

"Yeah. They've beaten the Earth Forces numerous time before. I've fought them several times before and I've only managed to shoot down one of them. Though I did duel their commander to a draw once."

* * *

_Flashback_

_Battle of Endymion Crater_

_May 28 C.E. 70_

_Mu cursed as he pulled his Moebius Zero into a sharp left turn, dodging a burst of rounds from a black and white GINN._

"_Of all the pilots I could have encountered, I end up coming face to face with the Black Hawk," he said, dodging more rounds._

_Mu knew he was in serious trouble. He had managed to shoot down five GINNs earlier in the battle. One of them being a dark purple GINN of the Alaric Team, but that GINN taken out two of his gunbarrels. And he was running low on ammo. And worst of all, he knew that his Zero was slower than the GINN. The Hawk was playing with him. He could catch up with him in an instant and finish him off. There was no way Mu could outrun him._

Wait. Maybe I don't need to outrun him,_ he thought. _This is crazy. But it might just work.

_Mu suddenly cut his speed, stopping dead. His sudden stop caught the Black Hawk _off guard_, causing him to veer up and over him rather than stopping_,l_eaving him in the middle of Mu_'_s sights. Mu deployed his gunbarrels and fired. He fired off a few rounds before an alarm sounded in his cockpit. He was out of ammo and the GINN had barely managed to evade the few he did fire._

_The GINN spun around and squeezed the trigger of its rifle. But nothing happened. The GINN stood there for a moment. They were both out of ammo. But Mu knew he was still in danger. Zero was defenseless while the GINN still had its sword._

_Suddenly, to Mu's surprise, the GINN's left arm reached up and saluted him, before the GINN took off. Leaving him surprised and relieved._

* * *

"I don't know. That sounds more like he chose to withdraw and spare you're life rather than the two of you fighting to a draw," said Chris.

"I have to agree with him, Lieutenant La Flaga," added Kira.

"Hey."

Makoto shook her head before glancing down the line of mobile suits towards one machine that hadn't moved since it was brought aboard.

"If we're gonna be facing people like the Alaric Team, we need to get the Guardian up and running," said Makoto, drawing the attention of the others, who also glanced at the still incomplete mobile suit.

"Yeah, but who'll pilot it?" said Chris, but he realized the answer almost immediately. "No. You can't be serious?!"

"Dead serious Chris," said Makoto.

"But…"

"Chris, trust me, you don't want to stop her. In a battle of the sexes, women always win._ Always_."

* * *

**Author's Note: Personally, I think that last line is amusing. Of course, Chris is gonna forget it when he tells Flay to hit him as hard as she can... that'll be amusing.**

**I changed the scenes around a bit--I wanted to be more original. I would've had them subdue the Artemis guards in the mess hall, except that I also wanted Flay to end up in the Raven's cockpit with Chris. We get to add a bit more to the mystery of Makoto, as she seems to know things the others don't. That will all be explained about halfway through the story, so don't worry too much about it. There's a lot more to the character, but I assure you, I do not intend for her to overshadow the other characters.**

**Next chapter will be much more original. Scenes from _Gundam SEED: A Retelling_ will be used, but they'll mostly be the scenes at the PLANTs and the like.**

**Oh, and also, regarding just how Makoto lost the gatling shield she stole from the Resolute: she tossed it at him as a distraction, and he ended up blowing it up in his own face, hence why she was able to get close to Diana and attack her.  
**


	7. Phase 06: The Scar of Space

***%$#&%*!!! This is easily the second longest chapter I have written for all my fanfiction works (the longest being chapter two of _Legend of the Sun Soul_, which was about 700 words longer). Though Akatsuki Leader13 suggested splitting this into two chapters, I decided to keep it all as one, very long, chapter.**

**The PLANT scenes, as well as the final three or so scenes, are all from Akatsuki Leader13, with the exception of the descriptions given for the Dauntless, Resolute, and (unnamed) Guardian. The rest of it uses bits and pieces (and occasionally, a whole scene) from _Gundam SEED: A Retelling_, but for the most part, the latter half of the chapter is all my own work. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter!**

**We introduce Lacus here, along with Zane, a major antagonist from _Gundam SEED: A Retelling_. In addition, we get a lot of character interaction here. The interaction between Flay and Chris from _A Retelling_, some interaction between Kira and Lacus, and Makoto and Lacus, as well as a fair bit of interaction between Makoto and Liz. This chapter really shows some of Makoto's flaws. Not in terms of abilities, but emotionally speaking.**

**Oh, and please, check out Akatsuki Leader13's fanfic as well! As this chapter evidences, there's a fair bit of difference, though the core of both stories remains true to canon, and thus the core of this one is also true to the core of _Gundam SEED: A Retelling_.**

**Anyways, again, I hope everyone enjoys this lengthy chapter!**

* * *

Phase Six: The Scar of Space

January 27 C.E. 71

* * *

_Archangel_ Hangar

"Excuse me?" said Flay uncertainly. Murrue, Makoto, Johanna, and Murdoch, who had been discussing the work on the Guardian, turned to look at her.

"Yes, is there something you need?" asked Murrue.

"W-well…" said Flay, still uncertain. "I… After the last battle… I want to help out. Anything I can do to help out on this ship."

Makoto was the only one who didn't seem all that surprised. After the last battle, she'd been expecting this. True, the battle had scared Flay, but it had also made her realize the desperation of their situation.

Murrue looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding. "Actually, that would work out quite well," she said. Flay looked at them questioningly.

"Liz has been working communications," explained Johanna. "But she's gonna be working on a different task in the near future, so you'd be a good replacement."

Murrue nodded again. "Give us just a few and we'll talk about it some more, okay?"

Flay smiled slightly. "Okay," she said. "Thank you."

* * *

Two days later

"They work fast," said Makoto, looking up at the now complete Guardian. It hadn't been easy to do, without being able to simply order everything they needed. Not to mention, they were working with a more limited crew, and had to maintain the ship, the Strike, the Raven, the Dauntless, and the Moebius Zero, on top of their work completing the Guardian.

"Makoto? You called?" came Liz's voice. Makoto smiled as she turned to the brunette.

"Yes," said Makoto, looking back at the Guardian. She'd decided to talk to Liz without Chris around first. Various rumors had abounded as to just why they were working so hard on the Guardian. Many suspected it was going to serve as a backup, so that if Kira, Chris, or Makoto ran out of power, they could return to the ship and quickly switch over. Others said it would be used by Mu in mobile armor mode as a replacement for the outdated Moebius Zero. And others said that the three Coordinators would be programming an OS to allow the Hawk to use it even in mobile suit mode.

Liz, Makoto suspected, was the only one not in on the loop—besides Flay—who might've realized what the real plan was.

"Your uncle entrusted you with this mobile suit," said Makoto. "It only seems fitting that you be the one to pilot it, now that it's complete."

Liz smiled. She'd been planning to volunteer for it anyway, and suspected it might be the plan, after she was tasked with helping Flay work the communications post.

"What, no complaints from my brother this time either?" asked Liz. Makoto chuckled.

"Oh, he complained," she said. "But surely you realize that women always beat men."

Liz laughed lightly. "More than you might realize, Makoto." Liz looked up at the Guardian. "I'll do it. Gladly."

"Good," said Makoto. "Now let's get the stupid military formalities out of the way and convince your idiot brother that this is the right thing to do, and then we can fly out and get some practice in for you. I'd rather not leave you without even some practice when you first fly out into a real battle."

* * *

Shuttle to Aprilius One

February 3 C.E. 71

The door to the shuttle passenger compartment opened and Rau Le Creuset and Athrun Zala stepped inside to find two people waiting for them. Athrun's father, Patrick Zala, and a young man that Athrun had never seen before.

Both Athrun and Commander Le Creuset saluted as they entered the compartment.

"National Defense Chairman Zala, we hope you will permit us to accompany you," said Le Creuset.

The young man returned the salute while Patrick simply waved them off. "No need for formalities."

Athrun glanced at the young man sitting behind his father. He looked around Athrun's age and was clad in the red coat of a top ZAFT academy graduate. He had gray eyes and his black hair was cut in a standard military style. He looked rather bored.

"Ah Zane, I trust your assignment was a success?" said Rau as he took his seat.

"Yes sir. Everything has been taken care of," replied Zane.

"Excellent," said Rau with a grin. "Athrun, I don't believe you've met my protégé yet. Athrun Zala, this is Zane Scirocco. He'll be joining us once the _Vesalius_ is repaired and the matter of Heliopolis's destruction is cleared up with the Council."

"Hello," the two politely said to each other as they shook hands.

"You never saw me on this shuttle. Am I clear Athrun?"

"Yes. I understand. It's been awhile, Father," he answered, taking his seat behind Commander Le Creuset.

"Needless to say, I agree with your opinion report. The problem is the fact that they've developed such advanced mobile suits. We'll forget all about the pilots. I went ahead and deleted that from the report."

Athrun stared at his father in surprise. Concealing such important information from the Council like that was treasonous, at the very least.

To Athrun's further surprise, Le Creuset agreed. "Thank you very much sir. I was confident that you would make that decision."

"Just think of the reaction if we told them that those machines were being piloted by Coordinators. It would only give the moderate faction something unnecessary to argue about."

"Wouldn't you also find it difficult to have your friend be referred to as someone who has sided to the Earth Forces, due to the report?" asked Commander Le Creuset.

"No, but…"

"The Naturals created a mobile suit that can perform that well even with a Natural piloting it," his father said. "So that's what we're reporting. Understand?"

"Yes…"

"We must be more serious about this. Rau, I should be able to get you command of the task force that will be hunting the legged ship. It will consist of the _Vesalius_, the _Gamow_ and the Alaric Team," said Zala.

Le Creuset smirked. "Commander Alaric and Miss Kessel won't like that."

"No. They won't," replied Patrick. "But they will just have to deal with it."

"It doesn't matter in the end. We will deal with the ship and those mobile suits," said Zane. "All traitors deserve only one thing. Death."

* * *

PLANT Supreme Council

Aprilius One

Thirty Minutes Later

"I believe you can understand from the course of events you just saw that our actions were not intended as an attack on Heliopolis itself but the result of collateral damage and that the Earth Forces were at fault for the collapse. That concludes my report. Thank you for your attention," said Rau, saluting the Supreme Council before taking his seat again.

"So Orb was working with the Earth Forces all along," said Orson White, the chairman of the Administrative Committee. "They're the ones who violated the treaty."

"Aren't you being a little premature," said Ian Kessel, the Legislative Committee Chairman. "Orb is more than able to design and build mobile suits and warships."

"But not to design and build mobile suits with the Earth Forces," said Ezalia Joule, a major supporter of Zala, and a member of the National Defense Committee.

"Ah… But Orb didn't design those machines. Morgenroete did," said Ian. "And last time I checked, Morgenroete was a company, not a country. As such, they could do what they please."

"But Morgenroete is a corporation of Orb," argued Ezalia.

"Yes. But Morgenroete is an independent company and is not the Orb government. And we have a treaty with the Orb government, not Morgenroete."

"This only further illustrates that those living on Earth cannot be trusted," said Herman Gould.

"Trusted? How arrogant is it to believe that we are the only trustworthy ones," said Kessel.

"However, Commander Le Creuset, are these prototype mobile suits worth all of the sacrifices that have been made by our forces?" asked Patrick Zala, interrupting their argument.

Rau Le Creuset stood up again. "To explain the new mobile suits and their capabilities to you, I have one of our pilots with me, who has not only piloted one of the new machines, but fought against three of the machines that have remained with the enemy: Athrun Zala. He will give you the report on these new mobile suits. With your permission of course."

"I will allow Athrun Zala to present his report," said Siegal Clyne.

Athrun saluted and approached the council. The display screens in the council's tables came to life, showing the first of the new machines, the Aegis.

"First, I would like to present this machine is known as the Aegis. One major characteristic is its transformation system. GAT-X303; its structural frame is fundamentally different from at least seven of the other models. This allows the machine to transform into a mobile armor. While in this configuration, its main weapon is the Scylla, a five hundred eighty millimeter multi-phase energy cannon. As with the other machines, it incorporates a system known as Phase Shift Armor, which we have yet to test properly in actual combat. At present, we are reprogramming the OS to maximize its potential, and judging from its specs, this machine we believe is superior in both mobility and power to ZAFT's main weapon, the GINN."

The Duel appeared, one of its beam sabers drawn.

"GAT-X102, the Duel. This machine was developed with close-range combat in mind and has a wide range of uses. It's believed to the basis of the development of the other nine models. Like the others, it is equipped with the anti-air vulcan system Igelstellung. The machine carries a beam saber and an anti-beam shield.

Next, the Buster appeared, firing its powerful cannon.

"GAT-X103, the Buster. This machine was designed to be capable of long-range artillery attacks. It is believed that its main purpose was to provide covering fire from the rear, and to perform sniper attacks. It is not equipped with a shield, however, it has a three hundred and fifty millimeter gun-launcher, and a high-energy focused beam rifle. By attaching these weapons in different combinations, one can form a hyper impulse long-range sniper rifle, or an anti-armor shotgun."

Then the Blitz appeared. It raised its arm and fired off its missiles.

"GAT-X207, the Blitz. This one has a feature called Mirage Colloid, whereby gas particles are released over the armors surface. In the eyes of the enemy, this machine becomes virtually invisible. This makes it effective for search and destroy missions, however one of the drawbacks is that the Phase Shift armor cannot be used while the system is activated. It's believed that this model was developed for blitzkrieg warfare. It is also equipped with its own weapons, Trikeros and Gleipnir."

The images on the screens changed to images of the Surge racing into battle.

"GAT-X204, the Surge. This machine is not only the sister unit to the Blitz, but is also the fastest of all the mobile suits from Heliopolis. In fact, its maximum speed is faster than any of the current ZAFT mobile suits. The drawback however, is that repeated uses of its high-speed capabilities rapidly drain its battery. We believe that it was designed specifically as a counter to the high-speed mobile suits of the Alaric Team. Its primary weapons are a 55mm beam rifle, a pair of anti-armor swords and the Hakenfaust triple claw weapon."

The screens switched again, now displaying the Resolute as it let loose with all of its weapons at the Dauntless.

"GAT-X104, the Resolute. We believe this machine was built to complement the Buster, armed as it is with a weapons payload surpassing any weapon previously manufactured in this war. Its main weapon is a double beam gatling mounted on a defensive shield, supplemented by machine cannons, gatling cannons, homing missiles in the shoulders, and micro missiles in the legs. Unlike the Buster, this one equips a pair of beam sabers concealed in the wrist to use as fallback weapons at close-range."

The screens now displayed the Raven, firing off the twin barrels of its railgun.

"Now, the four that got away. First of these is the GAT-X302 Raven. Like the Aegis, this machine is able to transform into a fighter-like mobile armor. Its mobile armor form also appears to be able to double as a flight platform for other machines. Its primary weapon is the dual 52mm hyper velocity railgun with a shield attachment. Its main weapons in its mobile armor mode is a pair of 76mm machineguns and the beam blade weapons mounted in the feet of the mobile armor. We suspect this machine was designed primarily for atmospheric and space combat."

The screens switched back to the battle between the Resolute and Dauntless, only this time focusing on the winged mobile suit

"This is the first of two unknowns, though a radio communiqué identifies it as the Dauntless. This machine is the close combat specialist, armed with the same anti-armor swords as the Surge, the same beam sabers as the Resolute, and a large physical blade which also conceals a beam rifle. The shoulders also conceal powerful machine cannons, and this machine possesses a superb level of agility, well beyond any of our captured mobile suits."

The screens again changed, now showing a mobile suit lying on the ground of Heliopolis, the Dauntless standing between it and the Aegis and Resolute.

"This is the second unknown. Given what we saw here, and the fact that it hasn't been deployed in combat yet, we believe it still incomplete at present. As such, we know nothing of what it is capable, but from the images we have of it, we believe it to be armed with dual grenade launchers in the forearms, as well as a pair of beam sabers. We will not know anything else until it is captured by us, or completed and deployed by the Earth Forces."

The screens changed to the final new machine, the Strike, launching from the legged ship.

"Finally, the Strike. Judging from our encounters with it, we know it to be a machine capable of various types of combat. This model's design allows for it to switch its equipment with modules identified as Launcher, Sword, Lightning, and Aile. We can determine from the image that the Launcher holds a three hundred and twenty millimeter hyper impulse cannon. Our assumption is also that it has a one hundred and twenty millimeter anti-ship vulcan cannon, as well as two three hundred and fifty millimeter gun-launchers. The Sword module equips it with a fifteen-meter long anti-ship blade, along with a beam boomerang. The Lightning module equips it with a powerful weapon that we believe to be an electromagnetic cannon, with power far in excess of the main guns of a battleship. In addition, the machine itself carries two knives in its hip section. It's likely this model has extremely high combat potential."

"That is all," said Athrun before saluting and then returning to his seat.

"They've actually manufactured these abominations!" said Jeremy Maxwell, the disgust evident in his voice. "Those disgusting Naturals."

"But they're only in the trail stages. You can hardly consider ten mobile suits a threat," said Eileen Canaver.

"But if they've come this far, the next step would be to mass-produce," said Ezalia.

Ian Kessel started to laugh, causing everyone to stare at him. "I'm sorry. But this is just so ridiculous," he said. "You call those mobile suits abominations, but the Earth Forces are simply doing what must be done in war. If your enemy builds a superior weapon, than you must create better weapon to counter that one. Frankly, I'm surprised that it took them this long to create their own mobile suits."

"How can you say that?" asked Gould. "This is a clear indication of the Naturals intentions. They crave war, a desire to violence and havoc."

Kessel laughed again. "Few people, whether Natural or Coordinator, ever truly crave war. Next you're going to say that all Coordinators care only about peace and all Naturals are Blue Cosmos members," he said. "Your thinking is just like that of Blue Cosmos. Narrow-minded and bigoted."

His comment sparked a massive shouting contest among many of the Council members, while Clyne vainly tried to reestablish order among the Council. When Patrick Zala spoke.

"There is no one who prefers to fight. Who among us actually wants to head out to a battlefield? We want to live peacefully, gracefully, and happily. That has always been our only wish." Zala stood up, his voice becoming louder. "But who so ruthlessly shattered that wish? Who took our freedom away for their own selfish ambitions? Who pushes us aside to better themselves? Who exploits the Coordinators?"

"Who will never let us forget the Bloody Valentine Tragedy? The nightmarish destruction of Junius Seven! Two hundred forty three thousand seven hundred and twenty-one people. It has been one year since that abominable incident claimed so many of our fellow citizens. Yet we've pondered endlessly to try to end this war quickly. Our demands have been minor. However, the Naturals have put our efforts to waste, time and time again!"

"We fight because it's the only way to protect ourselves. If we must fight to protect ourselves, then we have no choice but to fight!" said Patrick Zala, bringing his speech to an end.

Almost the entire Council was quiet. None could really argue with him. Save one.

"As always, you have a flare for the dramatic Zala. But using the victims of Junius Seven as rallying cry for war is despicable and an insult to their memory," said Ian with a mock applause.

Zala's face could barely conceal his rage. "How dare you say," said Zala, barely stopping himself from yelling. "My wife was killed at Junius Seven."

"Which is why someone like you should not be a member of this Council during this war," replied Ian. "Leaders, both political and military, should never have a personal reason for fighting a war. They must lead with a clear mind. Free of anger, hatred, and desire for revenge against the opposing force. They must be willing to hear any call for peace and even if there is only a slight chance, they must be willing to take it. I do not believe that you are able to, Zala. And frankly, I fear the day you come into power."

"My fellow Council members, as you know, I come from a long line of soldiers. I served in ZAFT's military before becoming a member of this Council. My wife and children are all fighting this war. I know how wars must be fought. We must fight this war with calm and rational minds. Not minds consumed by hatred and vengeance. It must be fought for peace and peaceful coexistence with the Naturals and the Earth. Not for retribution. Seeking retribution and vengeance will only lead to more death, more pain and suffering, more hatred."

"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. I urge you, all of you, don't let this war become personal. Don't let this war become about vengeance for those lost at Junius Seven. Don't let this war become consumed by hatred. Nothing good will come of it. We must be better than those who destroyed Junius Seven. This war cannot end the way it started. If it does, then nothing changes and the next war will just be a continuation of this one. It is our responsibility to ensure that our children, their children and all the children yet to be do not suffer from our mistakes."

* * *

Patrick Zala's Office

An Hour and a Half Later

"Damn that man!" cursed Patrick Zala. "That stubborn fool just can't see what needs to be done! He'll ruin everything! There has to be a way to remove him."

Rau quietly sighed as Zala continued to rant and rave about one of his biggest political opponents. Ian Kessel was proving to be a difficult political opponent. Though the man was for fighting the war, he was against Patrick Zala's more radical views and sought to end the war peacefully, unlike Zala—and Rau himself, of course.

"Perhaps, but unfortunately, Kessel has a great pull with the military," said Rau. "He has support of a number of our armed forces and his wife is one of ZAFT's top officials. Plus his daughter is the second-in-command of one of our best units. Any direct action taken against him at the moment, could be disastrous to our cause."

"We wouldn't be in this mess, if your assassin had done his job properly!" Zala yelled back. "If he'd taken out Alaric like was suppose to, we would have had that unit under our control and discredited Kessel, all in one fell swoop!"

"John Alaric is a dangerous man," said Rau calmly. "He is not so easily deposed of."

Alaric had been a major problem for them. On the one hand, he and his team had become icons of ZAFT's military might. But unfortunately, he was strongly opposed to Patrick Zala and his faction. Worse yet, from the early days of the war, he had been extremely suspicious of both of them. Alaric had been coming close to uncovering things that they had both sought to keep buried. Fortunately, they had a mole within the Alaric Team who had informed them of all of this.

The three of them had created out a detailed plan for eliminating Alaric and then framing Diana Kessel as his killer and an Earth Forces spy, allowing a more supportive commander to take over the Alaric Team. It would have also tainted the reputation of the Kessel family, branding them with the suspicion of treachery and would have greatly weakened their support.

Unfortunately, by pure chance, Diana Kessel discovered the assassin in the act of trying to kill Alaric and killed him. Fortunately, she'd killed the assassin before he could name them. Naturally, he was labeled an Earth Forces spy.

Still, it seemed to have discouraged Alaric's investigation into the two of them. Or at the very least, he didn't have anything he could use at the moment and had decided to concentrate on the Earth Forces. Which was fortunate as he and his team were wild cards that could possibly disrupt their plans. And any disruption this late in the game could jeopardize everything he had worked for.

Perhaps he'd see about getting the legged ship and its mobile suits to deal with them.

* * *

Debris Belt

Makoto moved through the debris field, eyes darting about almost constantly. A haunting feeling filled the pit of Makoto's stomach. She almost felt as though she was being watched from the dark by some horrendous creature that could only exist in nightmares—to horrible to even make it into fairytales.

"_Makoto? You okay?_" came Liz's voice. Makoto looked up, realizing that she had frozen. The Guardian's hand was now resting on the Dauntless's shoulder.

"I… I think so," she said, moving forward again to look around the other side of the piece of debris in front of her.

"_Chris, have you found anything yet?_" asked Flay. The redhead was now regularly manning the comm. station, since Liz was officially a pilot.

"_Nah. There's nothing really here,_" came the reply as the Raven began to move around the debris to look in the same area Makoto and Liz were about too. "_This is starting to look like a—_"

Chris suddenly stopped speaking, and Makoto felt her stomach plummet.

"_Chris? What is it? Chris? Brother, are you there? What do you see?_" asked Liz. "_What do you see? Chris? Are you there? Please respond._"

"Something haunting," said Makoto, moving past the debris, gut clenching. Somehow, she knew what Chris had seen. It was the only thing in space that could possibly fill her with this ominous feeling of horror and despair.

"_Home…_" replied Chris, his voice quiet and faint. Makoto passed the debris, and saw what Chris did. Her stomach clenched even tighter, twisting painfully. "_Liz… It's home…_"

Liz's face instantly became pale and like her brother, she was paralyzed from shock.

"_What is he talking about?_" asked Captain Ramius. "_What has he found?_"

"The largest memorial in the history of mankind," said Makoto softly. "He's found the Bloody Valentine… the remains of Junius Seven."

"_Our home, before the war began,_" said Liz.

* * *

_Archangel_ Bridge

"You can't be serious!" exclaimed Kira. "You saw it lieutenant! That PLANT is where hundreds of thousands of people died!"

"Look, no one here is exactly jumping for joy here. But the fact of the matter is that we need that water and the supplies there. We have to do what we must to survive. And besides, there's still two people we haven't heard from that we really should," said Mu, turning to Chris and his sister. "Well, what do you two think?"

"What? You want to know what we think?" asked Chris.

"Well, this was your home. So we should hear your thoughts on this," said Mu.

"Well… Truth be told, I don't like the idea of stealing from the grave of so many of my friends and family. But we don't have any other choice. We need the supplies and as long as we take only what is needed and nothing else, then we should do it," answered Chris, somewhat hesitantly.

"I agree with my brother," said Elizabeth. "Our parents, our friends, everyone we knew that died there would want us to survive."

"We're alive," said Makoto, looking out at the ruins. "I don't like this either… but the fact is that you have to stoop to disgusting levels at times to survive. Sometimes, it isn't worth it. But this is one time where we'll just have to bear with it… because if we don't, more tragedies like this will inevitably occur; because every life that tries to end the cycle counts for something. And if we don't live for those who died, who will?"

"You seem awfully philosophical," said Mu. Makoto simply continued to stare out at the ruins of Junius Seven, not bothering to respond.

* * *

Half an hour later

Chris sighed as he collapsed onto his bed. He felt physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted after everything that had happened, but he couldn't just fall asleep. The refugees were making paper flowers to cast over Junius Seven. About the only thing they could do to honor the victims in their current situation. Still, he was about to fall asleep when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," said Chris as he sat up.

The door opened revealing Flay. "What can I do for you Flay?" he asked as she entered the room.

"I just want to say that I'm sorry about what happened to your home," said Flay.

"Don't. I have had enough apologies from people over this," said Chris. "I wish people would stop pitying me when they learn where I'm from."

Flay seemed to hesitate for moment. Like she was trying to decide whether or not to leave. "Is there something else?" he asked.

"Yes… There was something I wanted to say. Something I need to say," said Flay.

"Well then, say it."

"You see… Before this war broke out, I didn't think too highly of Coordinators. I kind of believed some of what Blue Cosmos said. And when the war broke out, I started to believe that all Coordinators were with ZAFT and the bad guys while all Naturals and the Earth Forces were the good guys. Even though the Earth Forces caused the Bloody Valentine. I completely ignored it because I wasn't affected by it. It was the same with the war. I completely tuned it out because I had nothing to do with it and I was living in a neutral colony. I thought that whatever happened on Earth or in space wouldn't affect me," said Flay. "But then Heliopolis was attacked and all that happened afterwards, and I found everything changing. I began to realize that everything I had believed about the war was wrong. And everything I believed about Coordinators as well. And that is also what I want to apologize for. For anything and everything negative about Coordinators that I ever said or thought."

Chris stared at her for a moment. Such a confession was never an easy thing for anyone to admit.

Chris stood up and put a hand on her shoulder. "I accept your apology," he said. "Truth be told, when I was younger I didn't thing much of Naturals. Even though my own grandfather was one. I thought they were stubborn, bigoted idiots. Then about seven years ago, I was walking home from school when I saw a boy my age getting beaten up by some punks. They were beating him up because he said that Coordinators weren't better than Naturals. I felt the same disgust towards those bullies that I had for Blue Cosmos. And that was when I realized that Coordinators could be just as bad as members of Blue Cosmos. I defended the boy and after that, we quickly became best friends."

Chris didn't know why, but something was compelling to him to say this to her. Something he hadn't said to anyone before

"He believed that most people, whether they were Coordinator or Natural, just wanted to live peacefully together. That we were all the same. That we all have the same dreams, hopes, fears," said Chris, his mind going back to the times before the Bloody Valentine. "He was a lot like Kira. He hated violence and was a complete pacifist. In fact, when I rescued him from those bullies, he was actually more worried about me getting involved and getting hurt than what happened to him."

"He's dead, isn't he?"

"Yes…" said Chris quietly. "He was killed in the Bloody Valentine. And not a day goes by that I don't miss him. Along with my parents and all my other friends I lost that terrible day."

"But the worst thing I ever did happened after that terrible day. I became angry at just about everyone. The Earth Alliance and Blue Cosmos for doing such a horrible act. ZAFT for failing to protect my friends and family and then using their deaths as a rallying cry for war. I blamed them all for that tragedy. I even blamed myself for not being and dying with them," said Chris, shame filling his voice. "I found myself being consumed by all that anger and pain. I started picking fights with people for no real reason. I don't know why I did it. Maybe I wanted to hurt those responsible but ended up hurting innocent people. Maybe I wanted to feel something other than anger and sorrow. Maybe I just wanted someone to kill me."

Suddenly, Flay embraced him in a hug. And for the first time since the Bloody Valentine, he cried. He cried for all those that he had lost.

* * *

The Ruins of Junius Seven

An Hour Later

The Raven, the Strike, the Dauntless, the Guardian, the Moebius Zero and several Mistrals set down on the ruins of Junius Seven. They had landed in the middle of what had once been a park. A very familiar park for Chris. It was the park where he had met his best friend.

* * *

_Flashback_

Junius Seven, Seven Years Ago

_A trio of bullies was beating up on a smaller, younger boy in the middle of a park._

"_What pathetic loser!"_

"_Yeah. Who in their right mind would think that a Natural is as good as a Coordinator?"_

"_We'll show this piece of trash just how wrong he is!"_

"_Hey ugly!" shouted Chris, kicking one of the older boys in the back. "Didn't your mommy teach you to pick on someone your own size?"_

_The bully fell forward, hitting the pavement. He was out cold. His two buddies turned and started shouting at him._

"_What are you doing?!"_

"_Why are you defending a traitor to his own people?!"_

"_A traitor to his own people?" asked Chris in confusion._

"_Yeah," the first bully said. "This traitor claims that those filthy Naturals are as good as us Coordinators. So we're teaching him a lesson."_

_Chris glanced at the boy. The boy was about his age and look terrified and in rough shape. What ever the boy said, it wasn't enough for anyone to have the right to beat him like that._

"_Well in that case… I have to agree with him. You two are about as stupid and as bigoted as those Blue Cosmos nutjobs!" said Chris to the larger and older boys._

"_Why you little punk!" one of the bullies shouted as he swung his fist at him._

_Now Chris may have been smaller and younger than these two, but he had one clear advantage over these guys. For the last few years, he had been taking martial arts lessons and he was quite good at it. In fact, his instructor told him that by next year, he'd be ready to participate in tournaments and competitions._

_Chris raised his left arm, blocking the punch. Then before he could pull back, Chris kicked the bully in the stomach as hard as he could. The punk stumbled back, clutching his stomach and moaning. To everyone's surprise, he fell to his knees and started throwing up. The second bully, fearful of losing his own lunch and without his two buddies to back him up, ran away. A moment later, the one that lost his lunch joined him. They were complete cowards. They harassed people that were smaller than them and wouldn't fight back. But as soon as someone fought back, they would flee like the cowards they were._

_Chris walked up to the battered boy lying on the ground. "You okay?" he asked, kneeling down._

"_Yeah…" the boy said. "You didn't have to help me."_

"_True. But it was three against one and I wasn't about to let a bunch of spineless weasels beat up somebody," he replied, extending his hand. "Here."_

_The boy took his hand and Chris helped him get back up to his feet. The boy was in pretty rough shape. He had a number of bruises and cuts but nothing appeared to be broken. "C'mon, I'll take you to my parents. They're doctors." he said, helping the injured boy walk to his house. "My name's Chris, Chris Dante."_

"_I'm—"_

* * *

"_Chris!_" said Kira loudly over the radio, bringing him out of his memories.

"Huh… What?"

"_You spaced out there for moment,_" said Kira, deeply concerned.

"Just lost in some memories," replied Chris.

"_You don't have to be here. You can head back to the ship._"

"I'll be fine Kira," Chris lied.

Truth be told he wasn't even sure why he was even setting the Raven down here, on what had once been his home. Even more painful was the fact that this park was only a few blocks away from the house he grew up in.

The Mistral crews began to exit their vehicles. Liz stepped out of the Guardian's cockpit and floated down to the ground, holding the paper flowers made by Flay and the children they had recovered from Heliopolis in her arms.

Liz threw the paper flowers up, scattering them across the ruins of their former home. Everyone took a minute of silence, saying a prayer for the victims of the Bloody Valentine.

Once they were done, Liz went back to the Guardian, and everyone else returned to their Mistrals and carried out their various duties. The Strike, Raven, and Moebius Zero took off, patrolling the area, just in case, while the Dauntless and Guardian went to work helping the Mistral crews gather ice.

* * *

A short while later

"_If we don't live for those who died, who will?"_

"Damn it, Makoto, you hypocrite," said Makoto, talking to herself as she went to work cutting apart ice with her beam saber. "You yourself have been fighting Erik out of a sense of vengeance… I wonder what Master Misuumi would think of me now…" Makoto closed her eyes. She opened them and looked at her hand, pausing after cutting away a chunk of ice for the Mistrals to carry back to the _Archangel_.

"I'm more fortunate… than Kira and Chris…" she said. "How do they cope with it? They've both killed, and make it seem so easy to deal with, even though it must be tearing them up inside… Well, maybe Kira. Chris always seemed so much more accepting of it…"

"_Hey, Makoto, what's wrong?_" asked Liz. Makoto shook her head.

"Nothing, I was just thinking," she said.

"_That was close,_" came Chris's voice suddenly. "_I just shot down a GINN guys._"

"_It's a long-range scout,_" said Mu. "_It's unlikely that a ZAFT warship is nearby. But there may be more of them out there, so keep a close eye on things. Ensign Badgiruel, how long until we're done loading up the last of the supplies?_"

"_We should be done in approximately an hour,_" she replied.

"_Good. Captain, once the supplies are loaded, we should head out just to be on the safe side._"

"_I agree, Lieutenant La Flaga,_" replied Murrue. "_As soon as the last of the supplies are loaded, we'll be leaving the Debris Belt for Lunar HQ._"

"_Lunar HQ…_" echoed Liz. Makoto glanced down at the radio idly and realized Liz had placed the Guardian's hand on the shoulder of the Dauntless in order to establish a contact link. No one else would hear what was said, unless they opened a full radio channel. Makoto immediately closed her outgoing link, assuming Liz had done the same.

"Something up Liz?" asked Makoto.

"_Um… what will you do?_" asked Liz.

"Do?"

"_When we reach Lunar Headquarters,_" said Liz. "_We'll be able to depart. Return to Orb. Leave this whole war behind. But I wanted to know if you planned to do that? I know Chris isn't entirely certain what he'll do when we reach the moon._"

Makoto was silent for a moment.

"I'll join the Earth Forces," said Makoto. "Even though the thought of killing turns my stomach, I can't simply leave the Dauntless behind. My parents built it for me, in a way—it was like they were trying to show the world that they cared about me. It was modeled after a mobile suit model I created awhile back. I… I can't let anyone else pilot it. Not even for a chance to return to the rest of my family."

"_Yeah…_" said Liz. "_Well… I wonder how that will affect everyone else's decision._"

"Please don't tell anyone else," said Makoto. "Only Chris and Kira know, and I asked them to be quiet as well. I don't want it to affect anyone else's decision."

"_It'll affect everyone whether you like it or not, Makoto,_" said Liz softly. "_You're one of us, after all. You're a treasured friend. We don't abandon each other. And please… if you're having problems of some sort, don't hesitate to talk to us._"

"Liz…" said Makoto quietly. There were a number of problems she was keeping from the others. For instance, her personal vendetta against the pilot of the Resolute.

_No, Makoto,_ she thought to herself. _You can't fight him for that. You're fighting to prevent as many people suffering the fate you have as you can. Not for revenge._

If only it were that easy.

* * *

Kira resumed his patrol after the brief pause when Chris had warned them of his encounter with the GINN.

The moon. They would soon be heading for the moon. Where Kira could leave this war behind and return to his normal life.

He moved around a large piece of debris when he spotted a badly damaged civilian shuttle. Normally, he would have passed it off just a piece of space junk but it was too new. Both the ship and its battle damage. It must have been raided by pirates and then drifted into the Debris Belt. He had heard that with both ZAFT's and the Earth Alliance's military fighting the war, they were unable to patrol the civilian space routes and as a result, piracy had dramatically increased.

Suddenly, a GINN appeared. The Strike's computer identified it as a GINN Long-Range Reconnaissance Type. The GINN was inspecting the shuttle. It was searching for something.

Kira moved behind some debris, hoping that the GINN would leave before it spotted anyone. He didn't want to kill anyone else. The GINN, seemingly satisfied that what it was looking for wasn't on the shuttle, started to leave.

Unfortunately, it was not to be. As the Mistral that Flay was on started its return to the _Archangel_, its flight path passing near the shuttle. The GINN glanced back, spotting the Mistral. It immediately turned and headed towards the pod.

"No!" cried Kira. "Why couldn't you just leave?"

He had no choice, if the GINN spotted the _Archangel_, it would all be over. He aimed at the GINN and squeezed the trigger, his shot piercing the GINN's power plant, destroying it instantly.

"_Thanks kid. That was a close one,_" said Jackie Tonomura.

"_Yeah, thanks Kira,_" added Flay.

Kira didn't feel all that great about saving them. Again, he had killed someone. Why did he have to get involved in this war? Why did this war have to happen in the first place?

Kira sighed as he resumed his patrol. Maybe a minute later, he spotted something. A lone escape pod floating among the debris.

_Could it be from the shuttle? Is there still someone alive in there?_

Deciding it was better to safe than sorry, he picked up the pod and headed back to the _Archangel_.

* * *

_Archangel_ Hangar

"You have a knack for bringing in things that other people left behind," commented Natarle, to which Kira was silent. Makoto, however, was not.

"Well, the way I see it, there's a descent chance we just blew up the rescue for whoever or whatever's in there," she said. "It's perfectly possible those GINNs were searching for this lifepod, I mean, why else would they be out here?"

Natarle shrugged. "You're probably right, but that just concerns me more."

"Alright, I'm opening the hatch now," said Murdoch. A trio of armed soldiers were present, just in case they'd pulled in someone hostile.

The hatch of the lifepod opened and…

A bright pink ball flew out.

"Haro. Haro," said the ball, rouge flaps on its side flapping wildly. "Haro. Lacus. Haro." The ball flew straight at Chris's face and he caught it.

"Haro! Hello there! Haro!" the ball shouted, startling him.

"What?! What is this?!" he said, staring at the pink machine.

"That's Haro," came a soft voice from the lifepod. "And thank you. I appreciate your assistance."

Everyone looked back at the lifepod to see a beautiful teenager, the same age as Kira, Chris, and Makoto, float out of the pod. Her joyful expression and the light in her bright blue eyes especially entranced Kira.

_No… way…_ thought Chris and Makoto as Kira grabbed the pink-haired girl to help still her momentum.

"Thank you," she said, smiling as Kira blushed ever so slightly.

"Uh, no problem," he said. Then, the girl looked curiously at the Earth Forces patch on the shoulder of Kira's uniform, and glanced uncertainly around at all the other Earth Forces uniforms.

She gulped slightly. "So… this isn't a ZAFT ship?" she asked.

Everyone just continued to look at her in surprise. Almost.

"You're… Lacus Clyne," said Liz in a state of disbelief.

Chris glanced at his sister. She was the biggest Lacus Clyne fan he had ever met. Her eyes were wide with surprise at the sight of her idol.

"Why yes I am."

"Miss Clyne," she said, making her way to the young diva. "Miss Clyne, it's an honor to meet you. Can I please have your autograph?"

Chris sighed. "Liz… Miss Clyne has no doubt been through a lot. Don't harass her like a rabid fangirl. I'm sure she could use some rest."

"Rabid fangirl! Haro! Rabid fangirl!" the strange ball robot shouted.

_The guy who made this thing better hope he never meets me. I want to kick his ass for making this evil thing. Same with the guy who made Birdie._

As if on some magical cue, Birdie landed on his head.

"Birdie. Birdie."

"Haro! Birdie! Haro!

Chris felt a vein on the side of his head throb. He was growing to hate these annoying mechanical pets. "Someone please take these things away from me before I throw them out an airlock!" he said. "Why do these annoying things always latch onto me? What do they find so appealing about me?"

Just about everyone laughed or chuckled as Kira grabbed Birdie and that annoying pink ball.

"That's alright," said Lacus as Kira handed her back her robot. "I'd be happy to give her an autograph. And please, call me Lacus."

"Really?! Someone get me a pen and some paper, quick!" shouted Liz in joy.

Mu chuckled. "Well, things are definitely getting interesting."

"If I might ask, is now really the time for an autograph? You can wait awhile Liz," said Makoto. Lacus glanced over at her, then stared more intently.

"Makoto… Arata?" she asked. Everyone stared at her in surprise.

"Yes…" said Makoto slowly. "How did you know that?" Lacus smiled.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised," she said. "It was a long time ago. We met at the party celebrating the launch ceremony of the _Kusanagi_, remember?"

Everyone stared between them, surprised, as Makoto frowned, obviously thinking back.

"Yes… that's right," she said, smiling slightly. "I can't believe I forgot about you. But I was so obscure. How did you remember…? Eep!" Makoto blushed ten shades of red and smacked her hands over her lips, looking more embarrassed than Kira had thought was humanly possible. Lacus giggled slightly.

"Yes, it's hard to forget _that_," she said.

_What the hell are they talking about?_ Chris asked himself.

Mu looked more closely at Makoto, who hadn't moved from her position, still blushing furiously. He looked her over, then glanced back at Murdoch.

"Hey, I think she's producing enough heat to power the Dauntless for the rest of the war," said Mu, grinning. Liz whacked the ace in the back of the head.

* * *

Crew Quarters assigned to Lacus Clyne

Half an hour later

"Thank you _so_ much Lacus!" said Liz happily as she clutched the autograph tightly to her chest. Lacus smiled in amusement at the girl's behavior.

"Oh, come to think of it," said Liz, suddenly thoughtful. "What was Makoto so embarrassed about earlier?"

Lacus giggled again. "Well, don't tell anyone, but it was at a party held by Lord Uzumi of Orb…" began Lacus.

Two minutes later, Liz was floating in the air, clutching her stomach, tears floating from her eyes as she laughed her head off. If there had been gravity, she'd have been rolling on the floor as well.

"Oh… oh my god! That's… that's hilarious!" exclaimed Liz. "Especially from someone like her!" Lacus smiled.

"Just don't mention it to anyone, okay?" asked Lacus. She may not have known Makoto long, but for Lacus, it was long enough that the other girl could be qualified as something just short of a proper friend.

"I'm not promising anything," said Liz. "But I'll keep quiet… for now."

Lacus sighed, imagining the embarrassment the brunette no doubt intended to drop right on top of the redhead. She frowned.

"I shouldn't have told you about that…"

* * *

An Hour Later

_Archangel _Bridge

"Captain, all of the supplies have been brought on board and secured," said Joanna as she entered the bridge. "We're ready to leave."

"Good. Neumann, take us out of the Debris Belt and back on to Lunar HQ," ordered Murrue.

"Yes ma'am," said Neumann as he powered up the engines and started maneuvering out of the debris field.

"So what are we gonna do about our new guest?" asked Mu, but truth be told, just about everyone was wondering that.

"We aren't going to be making any other stops before we reach Lunar Headquarters," said Badgiruel. "And she's a civilian. So she is no real danger."

"Of course not," said Mu sarcastically. "They'd welcome her with open arms. She is after all, Clyne's daughter."

"Lieutenant La Flaga," said Murrue sternly. "I don't like it anymore than you do, but we don't have any other choice."

"Actually, there may be another way," said Joanna. "We can hide her amongst the civilians of Heliopolis. She'll be sent with them to Orb. Then the Orb government will simply send her to a nearby ZAFT base and they'll send her back to the PLANTs."

"Hmm… Could that really work?" asked Murrue.

"If everyone on board agrees to it. Then yes," Joanna replied.

* * *

Lacus's room

"I must say, it's a surprise to see you out here, on an Earth Forces vessel no less," said Lacus as Makoto sent coins flying about the room, trying to hit Haro with them. However, the mad pink ball effortlessly evaded them, and Makoto wondered if she could adapt it to operate a mobile suit or the Moebius Zero. It could prove more annoying than the current forces of the _Archangel_ could ever hope to be.

"Well, that party was the last time I saw my parents for a long time," said Makoto. "They were very highly placed in Morgenroete, so they ended up shipping off to the Heliopolis branch. They were actually running it. They built this ship and the mobile suits on board. I only went there to live with them a few months ago. Prior to that, I was living with some relatives, my aunt and uncle, on my mom's side."

"I see," said Lacus. "So then, you must know this ship quite well."

Makoto chuckled. "It was modeled off of the _Izumo_-class, which is what got my father as far as he was in Morgenroete, so, yeah, I guess you could say that. But I only found out about them when ZAFT attacked."

"Mmm…" murmured Lacus. "I wish it hadn't happened."

"All of us do," said Makoto. "But unfortunately, it did happen. Sometimes, events are just out of your control. When you realize that's the case, you have to try and take control of your own situation, otherwise, you'll never be able to live right?"

"You remembered that, huh?" said Lacus. It was one of the things Lacus had said to Makoto during the party four years ago.

"Yeah," said Makoto. "You always were a wise person, Lacus."

"Did you go anywhere with that singing career?"

"Uh… no. I'm just an amateur singer, nothing like you."

"Oh, come on," said Lacus as Makoto blushed slightly. "I want to hear it."

"O… okay," said Makoto, before clearing her throat.

* * *

Outside Lacus's room

The Heliopolis volunteers, including Chris, Liz, and Flay, pressed their ears tighter to Lacus's door, now even more curious. They'd all wondered about Makoto knowing someone as important as the daughter of Siegel Clyne, prompting them to listen in on the two's conversation.

And now, all of them wanted to hear this. They'd never have pegged Makoto as someone who would pursue singing, even as a hobbie.

* * *

_Hosoku togatta hari ga karada wo tsukisashi  
Garasu ni yokotaeta hane saigo no hikari wo hanatsu_

Makoto's blush grew deeper as she began to sing. She didn't think she was that good, and here she was, being asked to sing by Lacus Clyne, the most prominent diva in the modern world.

_Ruri ni kometa inori tozasarete  
Mirarete... mezamete... mayotte......._

Outside, eyes widened, especially Liz's. Makoto's singing was as stunning as everything else about her, even if it didn't measure up to Lacus's._  
_

_Yasashii yubi to garasu no hako ga kore kara yuiitsu no sekai  
Sora wo wasurete ugoki wo tomete doukoku ni oborete  
Fukai manazashi mawata de kurumi kioku sae mo tokashite'ku  
Mou sagasenai...  
Muda ni hirogeta hane ga yume ni mite'ta sekai  
_

Haro was completely silent, almost seeming to be listening as well, while Lacus's smile grew.

_  
Are wa kinou no tobira akete wa ikenai  
Wazuka ni sasareta mizu ni yuganda kyoukai koete_

Makoto's blush faded as she began to relax into the song, eyes closing.

_Mayu no naka de mite'ta maboroshi wa  
Mabayuku... iyashiku... hakanaku..._

Even outside the room, one could tell that the girl had thrown herself, heart and soul, into her singing. It was now loud enough that several crewmen, walking down the hall, paused to listen as well.

_Tsumetai mado to rin no hikari ga kore kara yuiitsu no sekai  
Shimetsukerareta nibui itami ni itsushika yoishirete  
Kono mama toki ga tomaru no naraba sore mo ii to me wo tojita  
Hanenokeru ude  
Azawarau you ni kokoro ni sumitsuita sekai_

As everyone melted into the song a little more, thoughts began to turn to things that they'd thrown themselves into like this.

_Ruri ni kometa inori tozasarete  
Mirarete... mezamete... mayotte......_

Lacus admired the serene look on Makoto's face. The girl seemed at peace—as she hadn't seemed since Lacus had met her.

Neither of them noticed Haro's eyes flashing rapidly.

_Eien no bi to garasu no heya ga kore kara yuiitsu no sekai  
Modaeru mune ni kizu ga hirogari mata hikimodosareru  
Gin wo furimaki kokoro okashite ano hi motomete'ta shinpi  
Ima oshite yuku  
Muda ni hirogeta hane ga yume ni mite'ta sekai_

Makoto fell silent, a smile on her face. Lacus smiled as well. Makoto was better than she gave herself credit for.

* * *

"Well, I'd say you have a very promising career in the music industry," said Lacus. Haro's eyes stopped flashing. "It was beautiful.

"Lacus! Beautiful. Makoto!" said Haro as Makoto blushed. Haro suddenly stopped moving, and then they heard Makoto's voice coming from the robot, singing the same song.

"What the hell?! Did that thing just record me?!" exclaimed Makoto, blushing again, this time at the thought of someone having a recording of her singing.

"Now why don't you ever do that for me?" asked Lacus playfully. "Hmm… maybe Athrun can explain it."

"Athrun? Right, I guess he would be the one to make something for you," said Makoto thoughtfully. She was well aware of Lacus's relationship with Athrun Zala. "So this Haro is his design?"

"That's right," said Lacus cheerfully.

"I see…" said Makoto, standing up. "I think its about time I got something to eat. I'll bring your meal to you as well."

"That would be very much appreciated," said Lacus, looking down. "Since I'm not allowed outside with everyone else." Unknown to either of them, everyone outside had begun to move, most heading for the mess hall, and Chris, remembering Kira's expression back in the hangar, grinned as an idea came to him.

"It can't be helped, this is a warship after all," said Makoto as she opened the door and stepped out. She glanced back at Lacus. "I'll see you later… and _please_ don't let anyone else hear that recording, okay?" Lacus smiled and nodded.

"Okay," she said.

* * *

Mess Hall

"Uh, what's up guys?" asked Makoto uncertainly as she entered the mess hall. Everyone was staring at her…

She'd met Kira on the way, and he'd told her he was bringing food to Lacus, so she had decided to get a meal for herself real quick before heading down to work on the Dauntless.

Liz stood up, two trays held in her hands.

"Hey, Makoto, I was hoping you'd show up," she said. "Can we talk? Alone?"

"Uh, sure," said Makoto uncertainly before leaving the mess hall with Liz.

* * *

Lacus's room

Lacus looked up as the door opened, a "welcome back" forming on her lips when she saw that it wasn't Makoto. However, her smile only grew when she saw that it was the same boy who'd helped her earlier in the hangar when she couldn't stop her momentum. She liked the look in his eyes. There was something there that just drew her in.

"Thank you," said Lacus, seeing the tray of food. "That's very kind of you."

The brunette smiled. "It's no problem," he said.

"Still, I should properly thank you, Mister…" she trailed off, realizing she didn't know his name.

"Ah, Kira. Kira Yamato," he said. Lacus smiled.

"Thank you, Mr. Yamato," she said.

"No, just Kira's fine."

"Thank you Kira."

Kira blushed.

"Would… would you mind keeping me company, Kira?" asked Lacus uncertainly. She felt her heartbeat speed up just from looking into Kira's eyes.

Kira smiled.

"Yeah, I'd like that," he said, sitting down.

"So, tell me about yourself," said Lacus.

"Uh, well… I guess… hmm… where to start?" Lacus giggled at Kira's uncertainty.

"Okay, I'll go first," she said.

* * *

Makoto's quarters

"So, what did you want to talk about?" asked Makoto as she sat down on one of the beds, her tray of food resting in her lap as Liz did the same on the opposite bed.

"I… well, I heard you singing earlier," confessed Liz, blushing slightly. Makoto looked down, feeling uncharacteristically nervous. "It was… it was beautiful. Why don't you sing more often?"

"I… I'm just…" Makoto struggled for words. "I'm no good at it. My dream is to be a singer… but I've never been able to do that well. The few times I tried to audition, before going to Heliopolis, I was passed over. My performances were called poor, to say the least."

"But that doesn't make any sense!" said Liz. "I heard you! You were beautiful! How could anyone say that it wasn't amazing?"

"They did," said Makoto. "And I've never had a high opinion of it either." A bitter smile adorned Makoto's features. "No… I was far better as a fighter, a soldier. Master Misuumi, for all his encouragement of my dreams, has done far more making me a proficient _killer_ than helping me accomplish my dreams. I can't hate him for it—it's simply who he is, and his abilities as a singer were pathetic."

"Makoto… don't talk like that," said Liz, guessing that Misuumi was her martial arts instructor. That seemed how she described him, anyways. "You aren't a killer. You're just… well, you're you. A precious friend to all of us. And we wouldn't be here without you."

"I…" started Makoto.

"Chris told me about your fight with the Eurasians at Artemis," interrupted Liz. "But despite how he described you, I think his assessment was wrong. You're a kind person, who just wants to pursue her dreams." Liz leaned forward, setting her tray aside. "Why… I know you're attached to the Dauntless, but why are so willing to become a soldier?"

"It's all I'm good at," responded Makoto bitterly, her head hung in what seemed to be shame. Liz had finally had enough.

The brunette, forgetting about potential resource problems, knocked Makoto's untouched tray aside as she flung herself at the girl, wrapping her arms around the taller girl's neck.

"That's not true!" said Liz, trying to hold in angry tears. "It's not! You're important to us Makoto! Don't say you're only good at being a soldier, cause you're not! You're smart, fast, strong, with an understanding beyond anything the rest of us can see! You're calm and collected, even when others are panicking! You're like a leader for us, Makoto. And if you want to be a singer, go for it! Keep trying! Don't give up on your dreams like that!"

"Liz…" said Makoto, softly. "You… you don't understand…"

"What?!" demanded Liz, backing off enough to stare at Makoto in anger. "What don't I understand?! And how can I understand it if you won't tell me?!" Makoto looked away shamefully, stung by Liz's words. "Well?!"

"Get out," said Makoto, tone hardening. Liz froze at the cold words. "Get out of here. Just leave me alone."

Liz backed away, almost fearfully. "You… you don't care about us, do you?" she asked. "I thought we were your friends! You just said you wanted to be a singer, but isn't true, is it?! All you care about is that mobile suit down in the hangar! Fine!" Liz screamed the last part before running out of the room, tears streaming from her eyes.

Makoto looked down at her hand as it clenched into a fist. She floated off the bed and began gently spinning.

"You don't understand…" said Makoto, tears beginning to flow from her own eyes. "You don't understand anything about me!"

* * *

_Archangel _Bridge

"Hmm? What's this?" murmured Romero, staring intently at his display console as his fingers moved over the controls.

"Ma'am!" said Romero. "We're receiving a transmission."

"Who is it from?" asked Murrue.

"I'm verifying it right now," replied Romero. "It's from the 8th Fleet!"

"It's from Admiral Halberton," said Murrue, practically jumping out of her chair. "Patch it through."

Static filled the bridge speakers. "_Arch… gel… Come… Archangel… This is… gomery…_" said a voice, growing clearer and clearer. "_Come in Archangel… This is the Montgomery. We've been dispatched to rendezvous with you and escort you to the rest of the 8th Fleet._"

A loud cheer filled the bridge. It looked like their luck was finally turning around.

* * *

The Bridge of the _Odin_

Elsewhere

"Sir. We've detected three Earth Forces warships."

"Out this far? That's unusual," said Lucius.

"They could be an escort for the legged ship," said Captain Lee.

"Indeed. That is likely why they're out here," said Diana. "Have they detected us yet?"

"Unknown ma'am. As you know, we're on the edge of the Debris Belt. May or may not be able to detect us."

"Hmm… If they have detected us, they'll warn the legged ship. And depending on the Captain of that vessel, they'll either stay away or come to their assistance," said John thoughtfully, staring at the ceiling. Diana contemplated their next move, knowing her commander was likely bemoaning the lack of coffee at the moment.

"Sir. The _Vesalius_ is hailing us."

John and Diana both let out sighs of annoyance. Both of them, but especially Diana, hated having to take orders from that man. But orders were orders. Until the legged ship was captured or destroyed, they were stuck.

"_Commander Alaric, it seems we've found some unexpected guests. It's safe to assume that they're here for the legged ship, which means that we should remove them from the field immediately,_" said Le Creuset.

"So we're switching from searching for Miss Clyne, back to our original mission," said Diana. "You're planning on using that small fleet as bait to draw in the legged ship."

"_Yes. Either the legged ship will come to their allies aid, in which case, we'll be able to destroy it right here and now. Or they'll flee, in which case, they'll be alone and likely low on supplies. So why don't you deploy that Speartip maneuver that your fleet is so famous for?_" said Le Creuset.

John nodded. "Very well. We'll deploy the Speartip Team. Once they've done their damage and pulled back, I'll be sending the rest of my forces to engage them. If the legged ship comes to their aid, we'll destroy those three warships with the cannons of the _Odin_, the _Valkyrie_ and the _Einherjar_ and move against the legged ship. If not, then the mobile suits will shoot them down. I assume that you'll be deploying the rest of the mobile suits as well."

"_Of course,_" said Le Creuset before closing the connection.

"Damn masked freak," cursed Ajay. "Who does he think he is, bossing us around like that?"

"Nevertheless, that masked freak has been put in charge. Until then we can rid ourselves of him, we have to carry out his orders," said John grimly. "We're deploying the Speartip. Bring the ship up to full combat alert. Inform the _Valkyrie_ and the _Einherjar_. Get Hilda up here on the double."

There was a chorus of "Yes, sir," among the bridge officers before carrying out their orders. A few minutes later, Hilda Harkin, clad in her black pilot suit, stepped onto the bridge.

"Sir," the one-eyed woman said, saluting. "What's our mission? Is it the legged ship?"

"A small Earth Forces battlegroup. That will be your target," said Diana, speaking for John as he continued to stare out the vierport. "They're likely heading to meet up with the legged ship."

"That sucks. I was hoping for a challenge."

"I know. Cripple and paint those warships. Then fall back and we'll do the rest."

Hilda saluted again. "Yes sir."

* * *

The mobile suit catapults of the _Odin_, the _Valkyrie_ and the _Einherjar _deployed as the hanger doors opened, revealing black and purple GINNs.

"Alright guys, our orders are to cripple and paint the Earth Forces warships. If we're lucky, the legged ship will come to help them," said Hilda.

"_That shouldn't be too hard,_" said Herbert Von Reinhardt lazily.

"_Yeah! I wanna see what the big fuss everyone's been making over this new warship and its mobile suits is,_" said Mars Simeon, eager for combat.

"Let's do it guys!" shouted Hilda as her GINN launched from the _Odin_.

"_Right!_" shouted Mars.

"_Yeah. Yeah,_" said Herbert.

Herbert and Mars followed, launching from the _Valkyrie_ and the _Einherjar_. All three GINNs took off at blazing speeds for the Earth Forces battleships, all hopeful that the legged ship would show up.

* * *

The _Archangel_

Chris quietly ate his lunch as the citizens they had recovered from Heliopolis were talking. Everyone was relieved that they were soon gonna meet up with an Earth Forces fleet. They all felt that soon they would be safe from any ZAFT attacks. Chris was a little more pessimistic. He didn't believe that anyone would be truly safe until they reached Orb territory.

Of course, it also meant that it was nearing time for him to decide whether or not to continue fighting. Chris was pretty sure that Kira was gonna leave. He didn't seem to be cut out for war. Makoto, of course, would stay. He on the other hand wasn't so sure. He could, like Kira, go back to Orb and be done with this war. Or would he stay and fight? He honestly didn't know. His grandfather once told him that people should only fight for three reasons. For honor. For a cause they truly believed in. And above all else, to protect lives.

"What? My father's coming?" he heard Flay say.

Chris glanced at the end of the table. Flay was talking to Sai.

"Yes," said Sai. "He's with the advance force coming to meet us."

_Well now. That's some rare good news. We've have nothing but bad luck since Heliopolis._

"Really?"

"Yeah. I bet he had no idea that you're on board. We just forwarded our crew and passenger lists."

Chris still didn't why he had broken down when Flay had visited him a few days ago. He had never spoken the things he said to Flay before. He never really liked taking about that kinda stuff. And yet he said it all to Flay, a girl he known for only a short amount of time, and then broke down in her arms. For what had to be the millionth time, he wondered why did that and why Flay seemed to be increasingly on his mind.

A sudden thought entered his mind. _It's simple. You have a crush on her._

_No! I can't be. She's arranged to marry Sai. So I can't like her that way!_

_What does her marriage arrangement have to do with your feelings for her?_

Chris quickly buried those thoughts. Flay was Sai's girlfriend. That meant look but don't touch. He wasn't going to come between the two of them. Maybe he'd stay on board just to stay away from Flay.

_I guess it really doesn't matter. We'll soon meet up with the advanced fleet and be on our way to the moon. Then they'll send us back to Orb and I doubt we'll see each other that much after that._

Chris's thoughts finally turned to his sister. He hadn't seen her since she went off with Makoto, but he wasn't too concerned about that. He figured the two were still talking.

What worried him most was that he knew that if he volunteered, she would as well. She wouldn't return to Orb without him, of that he was certain. And it wasn't like she'd be a bridge officer anymore—she was now one of the _Archangel_'s mobile suit pilots.

Of course, privately, Chris suspected she'd stay regardless of his own decision. Just a gut feeling…

* * *

**Author's Note: I enjoyed this chapter more than any previous chapter of this story, and I'm sure everyone will agree with me. Overall, this chapter is the one with the most original content in it, so I'm sure everyone enjoyed it. I wanted to extend the KiraxLacus scene, but couldn't figure out a way to do it.**

**Oh, and for those of you who wanted to know just what is about Makoto's meeting with Lacus that is so embarassing to her: you'll just have to wait until they reach Orb. Liz will end up telling Chris and Flay about it while they're there, specifically during the dinner scene with their grandfather.**

**Also, I think it should be noted that nobody seems to have noticed Makoto mention a "Master Misuumi" in an earlier chapter. I may have edited that out, but I'm pretty sure I didn't. This character is in no way related to the Misuumi from _Gundam SEED: A Retelling_, and the name is aplicable to both boys and girls (the same as Makoto is).**

**And, below is a translation of the song Makoto sang. The song is Lupe, from Kotoko, my favorite Japanese artist. Any songs Makoto sings in the future will also be from Kotoko. Note that this translation is taken from a lyrics site, so I cannot guarantee accuracy.**

**One final note: on my profile, I will be posting a link to a video using the song Makoto sang here, so everyone can listen to the actual thing. I was gonna link to a video I uploaded, but unfortunately (possibly due to my somewhat poor internet connection), the video hasn't uploaded.  
**

* * *

_A thin, sharp needle pierces my body  
Wings resting on glass release the last light_

_A prayer fastened in lapis  
Be seen...　wake up... hesitate..._

_Gentle fingers and a glass box, from now on the only world  
Forget the sky, stop moving, drown in lamentation  
A deep look, wrapped in silk, even memories are dissolving  
I can no longer search...  
A world dreamt by wings spread in vain_

_That's the door to yesterday It can't be opened  
Surpass a boundary wrapped in mearly poured water_

_The phantom seen from inside a cacoon is  
Dazzling... shabby... fleeting..._

_A cold window and a ring of light, from now on the only world  
A dull pain pressed hard, before I knew it intoxicated me  
If time stoppes like this, that is fine and I close my eyes  
A denying arm,  
That world settled in my soul, as if to riddicule me_

_A prayer fastened in lapis  
Be seen...　wake up... hesitate..._

_Eternal beauty and a glass room, from now on the only world  
A wound in my anguished heart opens, brought back again  
Scattered silver, violated soul, the mystery sought that day  
Falling now  
A world dreamt by wings spread in vain_


	8. Phase 07: The Chosen Paths

**Yeesh. Like the last one, this is also a fairly long chapter. However, where the last one was long because I was actually combining two chapters (and episodes) into one, this chapter is long because I added in a number of scenes to the battle, as well as a rather lengthy Kira x Lacus scene.**

**Well, not much else to say, so I hope everyone enjoys, and please leave a review when you're done!**

**Disclaimer: Just a reminder: Of course, I don't own Gundam SEED or its characters or mecha. Nor do I own the Alaric Team, Zane Scirocco, Chris, Liz, or Johanna Dante, all of whom belong to Akatsuki Leader13. Some parts--particularly at the beginning and end--of this chapter are also taken from chaper/phase eight of Akatsuki Leader13's fanfic, _Gundam SEED: A Retelling_, and I encourage anyone who enjoys this fic to look up that one as well.  
**

* * *

Phase Seven: The Chosen Paths

February 7, C.E. 71

* * *

_Vesalius_ Hangar

Athrun sat in the cockpit of the Aegis, preparing it for combat. Around him, the GINNs were equipping heavy weapons. The only mobile suit besides his own that would be going out without heavy weapons was Zane's blood red CGUE.

There was something about Zane that unsettled him. Athrun had no idea what it was. But there was definitely something about him that made him uncomfortable.

Athrun opened up the comm. to Zane's machine. "Zane, why aren't you equipping your CGUE with heavy weapons, like the others?"

"_I don't need such weapons,_" said Zane. "_Even my railgun and missiles are unnecessary. This rifle and sword are more than enough for these weaklings._"

"Weaklings?"

"_Yes. Those pathetic Naturals are all weak. Even if they could come up with a mobile suit for Naturals, none could ever hope to match the skill of a Coordinator,_" said Zane nonchalantly. "_They're like lambs to the slaughter._"

* * *

Advance Fleet

"Alright guys, you know the drill," said Hilda to her comrades as they approached the Earth Forces warships. "Cripple and paint."

"_Man. This won't be any fun. They don't stand a chance against us,_" said Mars.

"_But it'd be disrespectful to them to hold back,_" replied Herbert.

"_Ha ha ha ha… You got that right._"

"Cut the chatter you two. We got work to do," said Hilda, silencing her comrades.

The trio descended on the Earth Forces. No doubt, the mobile armor pilots of this fleet thought that they could take three GINNs. But that would change when they saw their black and purple colors. Then the fear would come. Fear was the greatest weapon of the Alaric Team. The Black Hawk had gathered them all, the mavericks and undesirables of ZAFT's armed forces. And he molded them into an elite fighting force. The best and most feared fighting force in ZAFT.

They didn't bother slowing down. Speed was their second greatest weapon.

"For the Black Hawk!" shouted Hilda, firing on the incoming mobile armors.

"_For the Black Hawk!_" shouted Mars and Herbert as they too opened fire.

* * *

_Archangel_ Bridge

"Three silhouettes detected at long range. Identifying now. They're the _Montgomery_, the _Bernard_ and the _Law_," said Romero.

"Looks like we've made it," said Murrue, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Ma'am! We're detecting high levels of N-jammer interference!"

"What?"

"I'm detecting heat signatures from the advanced fleet. It looks like a battle is breaking out," called Jackie from the CIC.

"Ma'am, a message from the _Montgomery_. Reads: Cancel rendezvous. Continue to the 8th Fleet on your own," said Romero.

"How many enemies are there?" asked Murrue.

"Four _Nazca_-class warships are position near the advanced fleet. Three GINN High Maneuver Types currently engaging the fleet."

"Your orders Captain?" Ensign Badgiruel asked.

"Looks like our luck has run out again. There's no guarantee that we would be able to escape safely if we fled now. A trio of GINN High Maneuver Types… it's almost certainly the Alaric Team, and probably the Le Creuset Team." Murrue paused for a moment, sighing. "All hands, level one battle stations! The _Archangel _will provide reinforcement for the advanced fleet."

* * *

Crew Quarters

"_All hands, report to level one battle stations! I repeat…_"

"Figures," Chris said to himself. "Finally get a little time to kick back and relax. And they attack us again."

He left his room as Kira left his own room, across from his. The two sprinted towards the hanger.

"Here I thought we'd be home free. But I guess those guys pursuing us are a lot more stubborn than I thought," he said to Kira.

"I just wish they'd leave us alone," replied Kira.

Suddenly, to their surprise, the supposedly locked door to Miss Clyne's room opened and Miss Clyne stuck her head out. "My. What's all the commotion about?" she asked.

"Don't tell me that Liz has been talking to you and forgot to lock the door," said Chris in an annoyed tone.

"Actually, she, Kira, and Makoto have all been visiting me," she replied.

_Right… but that doesn't explain the locked door… Kira wouldn't forget that…_

"The ship's going into battle and we have to report to our battle stations," explained Kira. "And you should stay in your room."

"Are you going to be fighting Kira, Mr. Dante?" she asked.

"Yes," said Chris. "Now listen to Kira and get back in your room."

"I don't wanna! I don't wanna!" that annoying little Haro squawked as it bounced around.

"Too bad." said Chris before grabbing the little robot. "Cause you're going back in."

He tossed the little pink ball back into the room. Not hard mind you, he didn't wanna break Miss Clyne's little robot pet, even if he did hate it. Miss Clyne stepped back into her room and closed the door.

They continued on their way to the hanger.

* * *

_Archangel_ Hangar

"_What do you mean you don't want me to launch yet?! I don't need to be protected you know!_" said Liz angrily as Kira and Chris climbed into the cockpits of the Strike and Raven. The Moebius Zero was just launching, and the Dauntless was already on the catapult.

"_The enemy doesn't know we can use the Guardian yet,_" said Makoto frostily, causing the two boys to blink in surprise. Makoto and Liz had been getting along quite well since they came aboard. Now, Makoto seemed colder to Liz than back on Heliopolis, and Liz had never sounded angry with the redhead before. "_This isn't about protecting you, Liz. It's about protecting the ship. With the element of surprise, you have a chance to inflict considerable damage to the enemy before they realize what's going on, greatly increasing the chance for all of us and the advance fleet to get out of this alive._"

"_Fine, whatever you say,_" said Liz, still sounding angry, but also bitter now. "_After all, you _are_ the soldier, right?_"

"_That's right,_" said Makoto, tone hardening. "_So just wait for the right opportunity. Makoto Arata, Dauntless, launching!_"

"What was that all about?" asked Chris.

"_Don't know,_" said Kira.

"_Don't get involved, Chris,_" snapped Liz, causing him to blink. "_I… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. Just… please, I don't want to talk about it._"

"O… kay…" murmured Chris. "Ah, geez, now isn't the time anyway!" The Raven was dropped onto the catapult vacated by the Dauntless, as the Gunbarrel Striker was mounted onto Kira's mobile suit.

"_Kira, Chris?_" came Flay's voice. "_Listen, my dad's out there. Please… promise me he'll be alright._"

"_I promise Flay,_" said Kira without hesitation. "_Everything will be alright. We'll make sure of it._"

Chris was a little more pessimistic. "We'll do our best," said Chris. "So don't worry about it now. Just concentrate on doing your job, okay?"

"_Okay…_" said Flay softly.

"Good. Chris Dante, Raven, taking off!"

"_Kira Yamato, Strike, heading out!_"

The two mobile suits shot forth from the _Archangel_'s catapult, gunning to join the battle.

* * *

Advance Fleet Battlefield

Hilda opened fire on the _Law_'s engines, crippling the vessel. A trio of mobile armors opened fire on her. But her GINN was too fast. She dodged their shots and started to circle the _Law_, her GINN's head always facing the escort ship, its red monoeye glowing brighter than normal, painting the small ship for the warships of the Alaric Team.

A green light blinked on her console, signaling that the _Odin_ and the other warships had received the coordinates of the _Law_.

"_This one's painted,_" said Herbert. "_All we got left is the flagship._"

"Good. Let's finish this up guys," said Hilda.

The _Archangel_ entered the battlefield, firing its Valiants as the Moebius Zero, the Dauntless, the Strike and the Raven launched from the ship.

Unfortunately, that was what the two Commanders of the ZAFT fleet were waiting for.

* * *

_Odin _Hangar

"_Sir! The legged ship has entered the battle!_"

John smiled. The simplistic plan had worked out as well as they could've hoped. "Recall the Speartip Team. Deploy all mobile suits. Have the _Odin_, the _Valkyrie_, and the _Einherjar_ fire their main batteries on the painted warships," he ordered. "Oh, and everyone, leave the Moebius Zero to Diana. We don't want to get in her way."

"_Thank you sir,_" said Diana.

"_But sir, we haven't received the coordinates of the _Nelson_-class._"

"We'll send you the coordinates or destroy it ourselves."

"_Yes sir._"

"John Alaric, Farsight MkII, launching!" said John as the catapult shot his CGUE out into space.

"_Diana Kessel, Panther MkII, launching!_" came Diana's voice as her own CGUE launched.

The remaining mobile suits of the Alaric Team followed seconds later.

Meanwhile, the Aegis, red CGUE, and the GINNs of the _Vesalius_ launched as well.

* * *

Advance Fleet Battlefield

A pair of beams and a pair of solid projectiles lanced out from the weapons of the _Archangel_'s mobile suits, scattering the trio of GINNs. For a moment, the Moebius pilots wondered if they were about to see three one-on-one battles between the Earth Forces first mobile suits and the three deadly GINNs. However, the GINNs only fired off their respective weapons to scatter and distract the Strike, Raven, and Dauntless, giving them the time to turn around and escape. Though the Surge was faster than them, not even the Dauntless—by rights, the second fastest of the G-weapons—could catch up with the Speartip Team.

The ignorant Moebius pilots, however, cheered the retreat of the Speartip. "_You guys scared them off!_" said one pilot in relief.

"_No,_" said Mu grimly. "_We didn't. That was just the speartip… the actual attack is still coming._"

The Dauntless glanced around at the three warships.

"Oh no…" said Makoto. "Have the _Bernard _and _Law_ begun evacuation?"

"_Evacuation?_" asked one of the ship captains.

"Don't you know what the key to the Speartip is?!" asked Makoto, feeling panic well up in her stomach. "Those ships are crippled! Get off them now!"

Before Makoto had even finished talking, six large beams blazed across the stars, and obliterated the two escort ships.

"_No…_" whispered Kira.

"_Incoming mobile suits!_" said Natarle. "_The Aegis, three CGUEs, and at least thirteen GINNs!_"

"_What?! That's seventeen mobile suits, at least! How are we supposed to beat that?!_" asked Chris. Makoto grit her teeth.

"_We don't have a choice,_" said Mu. "_It's a good thing Makoto had Liz stay behind. A surprise attack from the Guardian could make all the difference here._"

* * *

"So Athrun, which one do you want? The Strike, the Raven, or the Dauntless?" asked Zane as the two reached the battlefield.

Zane already knew what Athrun was going to say. He was going to go after his traitor friend piloting the Strike. No doubt Athrun would try to disarm and disable the Strike so he could take his friend. It was pathetic. The traitor had clearly made his choice. The only thing to be done was to destroy the Strike and the traitor pilot.

"_I'll go after the Strike,_" replied Athrun.

_Pathetic fool. Just as predicable as your father._

Zane turned his attention to the midnight blue mobile suit. The Raven. There was an odd feeling in the back of his mind. But he brushed it aside. Now wasn't the time for such things.

* * *

"_Time for our rematch, Mu La Flaga,_" said a woman's voice, as one of the CGUEs began firing on his Moebius Zero.

Mu barely managed to make a sharp right turn, dodging the incoming bullets. He recognized the CGUE's colors. It was same one as that last GINN he shot down at Endymion. Apparently, this woman was the pilot and she had survived and now wanted a rematch.

_Figures. This must be payback for all the skirts I chased when I was a kid._

Mu dove as she opened fire on him. The CGUE closely followed, firing off well-aimed burst as it chased him. This was going to one difficult battle.

* * *

_Archangel_

A half-dozen GINN HM Types closed in on the legged ship, but were surprised to see its catapult opening, causing them to hesitate.

"_What the…? I thought they didn't have any mobile suits?_" asked one.

John, leading the attack, frowned, then his eyes widened in shock.

"Scatter!" he shouted, but it was too late, as a trio of beams lanced out of the catapult almost simultaneously, the two smaller beams gouging a GINN while the large beam pierced the cockpit of another.

From the catapult shot a streamlined, fighter-like mobile armor none of them had ever seen. John, however, immediately realized what it was, despite the dark purple color scheme it now sported.

"It's that last mobile suit," he said. "They've finished it."

The mobile armor recklessly charged at one GINN. The GINN's pilot began evasive maneuvers as he readied a Cattus round to tear into the armor. He fired, but the swift and fast machine dodged aside as it closed to point blank range. But instead of firing, its wings spread out further, and beam blades coated the front, tearing the GINN in half.

"Damn!" said John as he opened fire. He managed to land several hits with his machine gun, but as could be expected, they didn't cause any damage. The armor suddenly shifted into a mobile suit, its appearance much like the other mobile suits from Heliopolis, particularly the Strike and the Dauntless.

In spite of himself, John felt a grin creeping its way onto his lips.

"Not bad for a rookie, even if your machine is stronger that ours," he said, though the only one to hear him was himself.

But the pilot had been lucky, and caught them by surprise. Now that the element of surprise was gone, his luck had run out.

* * *

Elsewhere

Chris, the Raven in mobile armor mode, dived as the red CGUE opened up on him. Despite the speed of the Raven, a number of rounds struck the Raven, but, of course, they had no effect on the Phase Shift armor. In spite of that, the CGUE pilot was good. _Very_ good, that much was obvious. Fortunately for Chris, the Raven had some tricks of its own up its sleeve.

The Raven shifted to mobile suit mode and let loose with the dual hyper-velocity cannon on its shield, but the CGUE evaded.

"Tricky bastard," said Zane. "Take this!"

Zane opened up on the Raven with his machine gun, but to his annoyance, even though many of the rounds struck this time, they had no effect on the armor. Discarding the useless rifle, he fired a barrage from his missile pod and took control of the railgun. He tried to fire a round, but his eyes widened as the weapon exploded.

Zane cursed his stupidity. His CGUE hadn't been maintained in a while, and he'd made it apparent that they shouldn't bother with the railgun when the mechanics of the _Vesalius_ went to work. He hadn't thought he'd need the more powerful weapon, against Naturals or pathetic traitors, and he'd been planning on replacing it with a newer, more powerful weapon. Apparently, his railgun had been suffering a malfunction, and the weapon jammed, causing the round to tear it apart. Probably wouldn't have happened if it hadn't been modified to be several times more powerful than it should've been.

Chris didn't question his good fortune as the CGUE's larger and more powerful weapon exploded the moment he grabbed it. The CGUE now closed in with its sword held in hand, and he knew that unless he held the red mobile suit in place at point blank range, he'd never hit it with his railgun now. He blocked the sword with his shield, and drew a saber, slashing towards the CGUE as he did so. But the machine dodged, and lashed out with its fist, delivering a punch to the Raven's head, sending Chris tumbling back.

"Damn," he said. "This guy's good… better than me, that much is certain."

* * *

The Strike and Aegis clashed, the two former friends attempting to overpower one another's machine. Kira grit his teeth. Several body parts of the two machines were touching, allowing for contact link communication.

"Athrun! Why the hell won't you just give up?" he demanded. "We were so close… it could've all been over for me and my friends!"

"_Don't give me that Kira!_" said Athrun. "_You're a Coordinator! Why the hell are you fighting for the Earth Forces at all?!_"

"I told you already! My friends are on that ship!" said Kira. "And I won't let you hurt her either!"

As the two broke away, Athrun blinked. "Her?" he asked himself. In any other situation, he would've smiled. From the sounds of it, Kira had gotten himself a girlfriend.

But this wasn't "any other situation". This was a battlefield—and they were enemies now, not friends.

Grabbing their rifles, the Strike and Aegis blasted at one another, each blocking the opponents shot with their shields.

_Well… time to give this a try…_ thought Kira. His agility hadn't been as great as the last time he fought Athrun, and there was no way someone as smart as his old friend could fail to notice that—or the pods currently attached to the back.

He was just lucky they'd found that he could use them.

* * *

Makoto cleaved an Alaric Team GINN in half—her second one in as many minutes. The pilots were better than her—she fully acknowledged that her success over them was due solely to the power of the Dauntless. There was little doubt in her mind that, had she been in a GINN or they in a Gundam, she would've been beaten.

Fortunately for her, that wasn't the case.

The GINNs had already learned to stay away from her, and they definitely had an easier time evading her rifle shots and machine cannons then dealing with her sword. While their weapons all had anti-beam coating, the swords simply couldn't stand up to the sheer cutting power behind the Exia's PS reinforced blade.

However, despite their improvements over even ordinary GINN HM Types, and the skill of the pilots, the Dauntless's speed and mobility was allowing her to keep up. Makoto did a quick scan.

Okay, things weren't going well. She seemed to be the best off—better, even, than the _Archangel_. Four skilled GINN pilots were harassing the ship, and three additional GINNs were reinforcing another one in its attack on the _Montgomery_. Kira was facing off with Athrun, and the two seemed equal, though Kira looked to be winning—barely. Chris was clearly in a similar boat to Makoto, outclassed by his opponent, but managing to equal him on account of a superior machine. Makoto herself had only two GINNs remaining to deal with.

And Liz…

Makoto's eyes widened as she saw that Liz was in the worst shape, thoroughly outclassed and outmaneuvered by the black CGUE and its trio of GINN followers.

Despite how cold she acted towards the girl, Makoto thought of Liz as her best friend. Liz had simply torn straight into Makoto's doubts and fears. In Makoto's mind, she had to be strong, not for herself, but for her friends. They were looking up to her—even though she'd been the last of them to kill (only in this battle), she knew that Kira and Chris tended to look towards her for support because of her calm attitude and her ability to think clearly. If they knew how torn up she was inside…

But now, Liz was being threatened.

One of the GINNs closed to point blank range and aimed a heavy round directly at the Guardian's cockpit.

"NO!"

* * *

_It's official_, thought Athrun. _I hate incomplete intelligence._

Not that knowing about this module would have helped him, since he never would've thought _Kira_, of all people, would be able to use them. Sure, they were a little clumsy, but Kira was smart enough to compensate for that, and Athrun now found himself dodging beam fire and missiles from all sides as his childhood friend employed the wired gunbarrels to the fullest.

Kira, himself, was struggling. He was lucky that Athrun was too busy dodging the gunbarrels to realize that the Strike itself was vulnerable. If any of the other Gundams stolen by ZAFT were on the battlefield, he would've been finished—he didn't have to worry too much about the GINNs, since their weapons were virtually useless against the Strike.

As Athrun finally managed to pierce one of the gunbarrels, Kira drew the remaining three back in, needing to get the Strike on the move immediately. The two mobile suits backed away from each other, firing their beam rifles as they did so.

* * *

Chris finally found an opening through his opponent's frustration, and didn't hesitate a second in taking it, striking a vulnerable joint of the CGUE's left arm, removing its shield, and leaving it considerably more vulnerable to the unharmed—though admittedly low on power—Raven.

"You won't last much longer!" said Chris, firing a round off from his shield cannon. _Though I suppose I won't either._

* * *

Makoto blinked in surprise as the GINN attacking Liz suddenly exploded. She could've sworn she saw the same surprise radiating from the remaining GINNs, the CGUE, and the Guardian. Wait…

Makoto glanced around herself. She'd pulled the trigger for the Exia rifle. And the Dauntless was soaring across the battlefield towards the Guardian…

Had she destroyed that GINN?

Makoto shook her head. She'd figure it out later.

Makoto fired off a round at one GINN, though, as could be expected, the mobile suit evaded. However, it evaded right into the Guardian's sights, and Liz didn't hesitate, blasting off a pair of large grenades from the Guardian forearm, the explosion consuming the mobile suit utterly.

"Liz, are you okay?" asked Makoto as she fired another blast at the remaining GINN. It evaded, but Makoto had already guessed where it would go, and let loose in the area with her machine cannons.

The GINN flew right through the bullets, suffering heavy damage.

In the Farsight, John whistled at the impressive display on the part of the Dauntless pilot. She wasn't bad at all—Lucius was one of the best among the best ZAFT had to offer. And she'd nearly shredded his machine to pieces before he could react.

"Lucius, retreat," said John as Lisa and Ajay, the two opponents the Dauntless pilot was fighting before saving the Guardian, took up flanking positions.

Despite the fact that she was in a better mobile suit, it took a truly good pilot to shoot down _four_ members of the Alaric Team in one engagement, and even one of their best. He also knew about her impressive teamwork with the Strike pilot, using his boomerang as a distraction to close in and nearly cut Diana in two.

"Be careful," said John. "This pilot may be the most dangerous of them. Hard to say for certain, though."

"_No problem,_" said Ajay, voice cocky.

"_The machine is a major factor,_" said Lisa. "_The others probably could've pulled off similar feats if they weren't busy with their own troubles—and I think me and that pilot have something in common._"

"Luck?" asked John, smirking as the three Alaric Team elites prepared to face off with the two Earth Forces machines.

"_Woman's intuition,_" said Lisa.

* * *

Bridge of the _Odin_

"Captain. We've gotten coordinates for the _Nelson_-class."

"Alert our forces," said Lee. "Once they've acknowledged, open fire."

A few minutes later, the main cannons of the _Odin_ fired. Twin beams streaked through space. No one could stop the beams from hitting their target. The _Montgomery_. The beams pierced the battleship's hull, and the Montgomery exploded in a massive fireball.

* * *

Advance Fleet Battlefield

"No…" whispered Chris as Flay's scream of terror tore through the comm. channels.

Things had gone from bad to worse. No, scratch that. This was beyond worse. The _Archangel_ was now completely alone and outnumbered. The GINNs of the Alaric Team moved in on the _Archangel_. With the Strike, Raven, Dauntless, Guardian, and Moebius Zero busy with their own battles, it was defenseless against the eight GINNs.

"_Attention ZAFT Forces,_" said Badgiruel over the comm. "_This is the Earth Alliance warship, _Archangel_. We have on board, Miss Lacus Clyne. Daughter of PLANT Supreme Council Chairman Siegel Clyne._"

Everyone stopped.

"Ah… Damn it," said Chris. "This isn't gonna end well."

"_Who gives a damn about the Pink Princess?_" said Zane.

"This is unexpected," said John. "All forces, withdraw immediately!"

"_WHAT?!_" shouted Zane.

Rau stared out on the battlefield. This changed everything. "I agree," said Rau. "We must withdraw for the time being."

The ZAFT forces immediately started leaving the battlefield.

"Gah!" shouted Zane, punching his main screen, before he too withdrew from the battlefield.

The Aegis was the only mobile suit left, staring at the Strike as the white mobile suit stared back.

"_Using a rescued civilian as a hostage,_" said Athrun over the comm. to Kira. "_So do you still feel justified in fighting by their side with these cowards?! Kira!_"

"Athrun… I…" said Kira, feeling numb.

"_I'm gonna rescue her,_" said Athrun. "_That's a promise._" The Aegis turned around and left the battlefield.

* * *

_Archangel_ Hangar

"Damn that uptight militaristic bitch!" shouted Makoto, slamming her fist into the screen of the Dauntless in frustration before opening the cockpit. The redhead practically stormed out of her mobile suit as she removed her helmet, everything about her screaming danger, her eyes promising painful death.

"What the hell?!" demanded Kira, staring angrily at Mu. "What is Ensign Badgiruel thinking?"

"She's thinking like an uptight militaristic bitch," growled Makoto, drawing more attention to herself. "I swear that, somehow, someway, I am going to make her regret this. There are some lows that living isn't worth stooping too. Badgiruel just demonstrated one of my 'favorites'."

"Uh…? You know, I should report you for calling a superior officer…" started Mu, but Makoto cut him off.

"Superior nothing," said Makoto. "I'm not a military officer yet. All of us are still civilians, so Badgiruel has _no_ authority over me. Got it?"

Several people looked at Mu sympathetically.

"Makoto, calm down," said Liz gently, floating over to the girl and placing a hand on her shoulder. Chris noted this with somewhat mild curiosity. "This isn't like you."

Makoto wanted to tell her that this was the real her—but deep down, she knew that Liz was right. It wasn't like Makoto to be internally plotting murder. She'd just never been this angry before in her life. She took several deep breaths, trying to calm down.

The doors of the hangar opened, and Miriallia floated in, expression greatly concerned.

"Miriallia!" said Liz.

"How's Lacus?" "How's Flay?"

Kira and Chris glanced at each other. They'd spoken at the same time, but they brushed it off.

"Lacus is fine," said Mir. "For now. But Flay… she…"

Makoto had managed to calm down—mostly. But she didn't think she'd be able to keep rational if she saw Natarle's face.

"Let's go check on her," she suggested. "At the very least, it will keep me from storming up to the bridge to grab Ensign Badgiruel and throw her out an airlock."

* * *

_Vesalius_ Hangar

Zane was angry. Not at the retreat. But at the damned Raven. Zane could tell that he was the better pilot, but the damned machine was too strong. The GINN's rifle was useless against that machine's armor. The same went for the sword and missiles. And the railgun, his strongest weapon, was destroyed due to a malfunction. His assessment had been spot on—the weapon had jammed due to lack of maintenance.

"Sir, would you like us to get you another rifle for your GINN?" asked a mechanic.

"No. I need something heavier. The rifle can wait. I need that thermal cannon installed this instant."

"Yes sir," said the mechanic before leaving to carry out his orders.

"Next time, I will destroy that machine," Zane vowed to himself. "Next time… I'll show that traitorous bastard."

* * *

Flay's Refugee Quarters

Kira had ended up heading on ahead of the others, and reached Flay's room a bit sooner than they did.

"LIAR!" they heard Flay shout at Kira. Sai was in the room, trying to stop Flay as she gripped the front of Kira's uniform. She spotted Chris.

"And YOU!" she screamed. "You're a liar too! You both promised that nothing would happen to my father! But you weren't even trying! It's because you're Coordinators!"

Normally, Chris would have let her vent for a little while longer. But enough was enough.

"That's enough!" shouted Chris. "We all fought as hard as we could. But even that wasn't good enough to save them. Claiming that we weren't trying hard enough is an insult! More people died today than just your father! Don't think that you're the only one that's lost someone today! This is a war! People are dying everyday! Quit being selfish and grow up! If you really want to take your anger out on someone, than take it out on me!"

Flay slapped him. "Come on! I thought you were angry!"

Flay slapped him again. Harder.

"Come on! Hit me! Use all that anger and hit me with it!"

"Stop it!" shouted Kira. "This is pointless!"

"Chris, don't be an idiot!" said Makoto. "Have you already—"

Chris turned to them. "Stay out of this. I know what I'm—"

_WHAM!!!_

Chris stood there for a moment. "Ow," was all he said, before collapsing.

Flay stood over him, breathing heavily, tears still following down her face and holding a now-bent food tray.

Makoto dropped her face in her palm. "Idiot… what did I tell him?" she murmured, before looking up at Liz as Kira left, looking like his heart had been torn out. "Get him to his quarters," she said. Liz nodded and lifted her brother's unconscious form, heading out to return him to his own quarters. Makoto looked at Flay.

"I'm sorry," she said simply before leaving as Flay collapsed to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably.

* * *

_Archangel_ Rear Observation Deck

"Argh!" cried Kira as he leaned against the window of the rear observation deck. "No…"

He remembered his words to Athrun…

"_I won't let you hurt her either!"_

Yet, who was it that was threatening Lacus's safety? Not ZAFT, certainly, but one of the officers of the very ship he sought to protect.

"What seems to be the problem?" came a soft voice suddenly, drawing Kira's attention. He turned to look at the source, to see Haro floating out of his vision to reveal the face of the same pink-haired girl occupying his thoughts.

She looked at him with a mixture of curiosity and concern, and shifted slightly so that wasn't floating sideways in the zero-g environment.

Lacus frowned suddenly and reached out towards his face. Realizing what she was about to do, Kira backed away slightly and quickly wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Wha…? I can't believe you're out here again," he said. "What are you doing?"

She smiled, giggling slightly as she pushed off from the observation window.

"I was taking a stroll, then I heard a loud cry from this direction, and I was concerned," she said.

Kira glanced away. "Well, you shouldn't be walking out on your own like this," said Kira, exasperated by her behavior, no matter how much he liked her. "They'll accuse you of being a spy."

"Is that right?" said Lacus, pushing off the wall back towards Kira. She grabbed his hand gently and slowed herself next to the window. As she lowered their hands, she glanced to the side. "But… Mr. Pink…"

"Haro!" cried the pink ball in question.

"He loves to take walks," continued Lacus. "In fact, it doesn't seem to matter if a door is locked. He always seems to open it and go out."

"I don't wanna!" said Haro. That explained the mystery. The, as Chris had once put it, "rounded pink object of unholy annoyance" (why he decided to be a little more creative, Kira would never know), kept letting her out.

"I see," said Kira. "You have to return to your room, though. Come with me."

Lacus giggled slightly and pushed off, but didn't go far before she ended up tugging Kira along. It was at that point they realized they'd never let go of each other's hands, and both quickly snatched their hands away, slight, twin blushes adorning their cheeks.

"The fighting's come to an end I see," said Lacus, changing the subject.

"Uh… well, yes," said Kira, looking out the window. "And it's all thanks to you."

"And yet… the expression on your face is so sad," said Lacus.

"Uh… well uh… the truth is that, I'm really getting tired of all this fighting," said Kira. "I, uh, also happen to be a Coordinator. As you well know. And even Athrun was once a very close friend of mine."

"Athrun?" questioned Lacus, curiosity peaked. This couldn't be a coincidence…

"Athrun Zala," said Kira, confirming Lacus's suspicions. "He was in that mobile suit, the Aegis. Who would've ever dreamed he'd be piloting it?"

The two were quiet for a moment, Lacus turning this new discovery over.

"Now I understand," said Lacus. She moved closer to Kira, grabbing his hands and stopping herself in front of him, this time consciously choosing not to let him go. "What's clear is that you and Athrun are good people. The reality of that makes all this very sad."

"Huh? You don't mean to say that you actually know him?"

"He's to be part of my life," said Lacus. "Athrun Zala is the man I will eventually be marrying."

Despite being in zero gravity, both teenagers felt like the floor had dropped out from under them with Lacus's words, though neither saw it in the other, as both hid their feelings on it well.

"He's a kind individual, but he is on the quiet side," said Lacus.

"Huh? Uh… huh?"

Lacus grabbed the pink Haro. "Though it was very sweet of him to give me this Haro," she said.

"Haro. Haro."

"I told him how much pleasure it brought me having Haro around to keep me company," said Lacus. "And he kept giving me another and another." Lacus smiled slightly, though somehow, Kira felt this was different from the smiles she gave him. What was odd was that the affection he would've expected her to express for her apparent fiancée didn't seem to be present—it was more like she talking about a close friend than anything else.

Kira smiled himself. He could just imagine Athrun coming to Lacus's house, dozens of Haros in his arms. He could see Lacus accepting them cheerfully, a flock of the silly things chirping around them. Kira laughed lightly.

"Is that right?" he said. "Sounds like Athrun hasn't changed one bit. I was lucky enough to bring along my Birdy, which he also made."

"Oh? Is that so?" said Lacus, smiling.

"Damn it," said Haro. A small part of his brain—a very small part that wasn't focused on the pink-haired girl in front of him—suspected that Haro was now jealous about not being the only kind of robo-pet made by Athrun.

"Now we're…" said Kira softly.

"Imagine if the two of you no longer had to fight against each other," said Lacus. "That would be wonderful."

Kira was quiet, eyes closing. No… there wasn't anything… to take Lacus hostage like this, after she'd been so kind… to wield her like a pawn…

"It's no use," said Kira. "Everything feels like a mistake." But there was one thing that could be done to make things right: return Lacus to Athrun. He took hold of her hand. "Come with me," he said.

* * *

Meanwhile…

Chris groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. "What hit me?"

"Flay," said Liz.

"Damn," said Chris, rubbing his head. "I wouldn' have antagonized her if I knew she hit that hard."

"She hit you with a food tray."

"Oh. That explains things. I thought I was getting weak there for a moment."

"Makoto did warn you that women always beat men. Anyways, besides the tray to your head, what did that accomplish?"

"We'll have to see. Maybe nothing. Maybe something," said Chris. "So how long was I out?"

"About forty five minutes," replied Liz. "You're lucky your skull's as thick as it is."

Chris shrugged. "Anything changed?"

"Nah. We're still pretty much in the same situation." his sister replied. "Though I don't think it'll be long before that changes. Kira's probably getting ready to return Lacus to the ZAFT fleet right now."

"Really? Aren't we using her as a hostage?"

"Yeah… Well… I don't think he planned to stop and get approval."

"Should have known," said Chris, getting up off the bunk. "Well, I can't let him go do something so reckless by himself. We'll head him off. The locker room should work."

Liz nodded and stood up.

* * *

"Please, just let us go, Tolle," said Kira, looking down. "I can't do this anymore."

Tolle peered at Kira silently. The moments stretched out for what seemed to be an eternity.

"I guess we're the bad guys this time, stealing the girl away," he said at last. "Maybe you've got plans to steal her back?"

Kira looked up, suddenly hopeful.

"I'll help you," said Tolle. "Follow me, I'll keep watch."

They did so, but upon entering the locker room, they found a surprising reception waiting for them.

"You weren't planning on going somewhere without at least one of your fellow pilots, were you Kira?" asked Makoto, smiling slightly, before her gaze drifted to Lacus. "After you ran off and Liz carried Chris away from Flay, I went to work on the Dauntless. It helped me think our current situation over. As soon as I realized you'd be returning Miss Lacus to ZAFT, I decided to come here and wait for you."

"Uh, Kira? Miss Lacus?" said Tolle. The two in question glanced back, while Makoto looked over their shoulder, to see Chris and Liz standing there.

"Taking Lacus back to the ZAFT forces?" asked Chris.

"Yes," replied Kira. "Are you going to try to stop us?" He glanced over at Makoto as well.

"Yes and no."

"What?"

"I'll take Miss Clyne to the ZAFT fleet," explained Chris. "You and the Strike are far more valuable to the _Archangel_. The same can be said for Makoto and the Dauntless." Here, he glanced at her. "And at this point, I don't think any of us would let Liz go out."

"Hey!"

"That's not true," said Kira. "I'm not more valuable then you are."

"It is true. The Strike is far more versatile than the Raven is. And you're a far better pilot than I am. The Dauntless is more powerful than the Raven as well, as is the Guardian, and Makoto is definitely a better pilot than I am. If things go bad, it's better that you stay with the _Archangel_ to protect it."

Everyone was quiet for a moment. Then, Kira spoke.

"Alright."

"Okay then, first off, boys, get out of here so that Lacus can change into a space suit," said Liz.

"Uh, no, I don't think she should be left with _you_, Liz," said Chris. Makoto stood up and stretched, pushing everyone but Kira and Lacus out.

"I've got stuff to do, and I don't think Lacus would mind Kira's presence all that much," said Makoto. She smiled back at them. And then, so quietly they barely heard—and the struggling people on the opposite side of her from them didn't hear at all—she whispered something.

"If you wanted a private goodbye," she said. "You two are too much alike not to be closer than time should allow."

* * *

_Archangel _Pilots Locker Room

"Lacus…" said Kira uncertainly. The pink-haired girl merely smiled at him.

"You know, Athrun was always more of a brother than anything else to me," she said. "And I'm sure he feels the same about me. It was the same between you two… wasn't it?"

"Yes," said Kira, smiling slightly. Then, to his surprise, Lacus reached out and hugged him.

"I hope we meet again, Kira," she said. Kira smiled at her.

"Yeah," he said. "Me too."

* * *

A few minutes later

"Coast is clear," said Tolle as Chris emerged from the locker room in his midnight blue pilot suit. "Let's hurry."

"Right," said Chris. "You and Kira will handle the hangar doors?"

"Yeah," said Tolle.

"What about Makoto and Liz?"

"Makoto's keeping an eye out in the hangar," said Tolle. "Liz is looking out for Miss Lacus."

"Got it."

They entered the hangar then. Immediately upon seeing them, Kira, Liz, and Lacus floated over to the Raven's cockpit.

Makoto was nowhere in sight.

"Alright Miss Clyne, let's get going," said Chris as he climbed into the Raven's cockpit. Lacus floated in after him, settling herself somewhat uncomfortably in his lap, Haro held in hand.

"Let's go! Haro! Let's go!"

Chris knew he wasn't going to miss _that_ thing, at least. Well, that would be one benefit to getting shot down, regardless of whether or not he got Lacus back to ZAFT first.

"Can you keep that thing quiet?" he asked.

Lacus nodded.

"Hey, kids, what are you up too?" came Murdoch's voice suddenly. Chris nearly swore as he shut the Raven's hatch and began moving, the mechanics just entering the hangar beginning to freak out and trying to stop the rogue mobile suit.

The hangar doors opened, and Chris stepped onto the _Archangel_'s catapult.

"This is about to get a little rough," said Chris. "Hold on." Lacus nodded.

The catapult activated, and the Raven was propelled free of the _Archangel_.

* * *

_Archangel_ Bridge

"What?! What's going on?" demanded Natarle as the Raven rocketed away from the ship. Makoto's face suddenly appeared on the screen.

"_Chris has taken Miss Clyne,_" she said. "_No doubt he's returning her to ZAFT._"

"What?!" cried Natarle in utter anger. The rest of the bridge crew were ecstatic about this, but they hid it well. Murrue was especially happy.

"Way to go kid," she whispered to herself.

"_What did you expect? None of your pilots were happy about your little stunt,_" said Makoto coldly. "_Fortunately, with Liz and Johanna still here, he certainly won't abandon us… though _I _might in his position. But I couldn't go to ZAFT after everything they've done. In any event, I'm moving the Dauntless onto the catapult, just in case things don't go as Chris seems to have planned._"

"_I'll get ready for launch as well,_" said Mu, suddenly appearing on the screen beside the image of Makoto. "_No reason not to get ready, right? Makoto, want to put a pilot suit on real quick?_"

"_We don't have time for that,_" said Makoto before shutting the communiqué on her end. Mu chuckled before his face disappeared as well.

* * *

_Vesalius_ Bridge

"The problem is that with Miss Clyne on board, we can't take any action," said Rau. "But at the same time, we can't allow them to reach the rest of Earth Alliance Forces."

"_Not necessarily. We could ambush them and launch a commando raid on the legged ship and rescue Miss Clyne. We may even be able to capture the ship, all in one fell swoop,_" said Kessel, via the ship's main screen.

Rau considered Kessel's plan. If it succeeded, even if they just rescued Miss Clyne, she and Alaric Team would be the heroes and he would be the laughing stock of ZAFT. If they failed however, it would work out for him and Patrick Zala, especially if Miss Clyne, Kessel, and Commander Alaric died in the raid.

Suddenly, alarm sirens went off. "Sir! Incoming mobile suit!"

"What?! Identity it!" ordered Ades.

"It's the X302!"

"It's hailing us."

"Let's hear it," said Rau.

"_ZAFT vessels, this is the pilot of the Raven. Do not fire. I have Miss Lacus Clyne on board,_" the young pilot said. "_I am here to transfer her over to you. Shutdown your engines, and send out only the Aegis and its pilot and I will hand her over._"

"Very well then," replied Rau. "We will send out the Aegis."

They cut the communication. "You heard him Athrun. Deploy the Aegis and recover Miss Clyne."

"_Commander! Allow me to go in the Aegis instead,_" said Zane.

Rau was surprised by this. Zane had no interest in Miss Clyne. Meaning that his only reason for going out there would be to destroy the Raven. If that happened, Miss Clyne would undoubtedly be caught in the crossfire. And if something happened to her, with the Alaric Team here, not even Patrick Zala could save him from punishment.

"No. He requested Athrun. And that's what we'll give him."

* * *

Hangar

Zane watched as the Aegis took off from the _Vesalius_'s hanger. His rage was evident to everyone. Now more than ever, he wanted to destroy the Raven.

"What is the status on the thermal cannon?!"

"Well sir, we've mounted the unit onto your CGUE and made the modifications to power it. We've also adjusted the computer to the thermal cannon's weight and its recoil. We're about to calibrate the weapons targeting system right now," the mechanic replied.

"Leave it. I'll calibrate it in the field," he said. "I'm launching."

"Sir?"

"You heard me. Get everything prepped immediately and put it on the catapult," he said, kicking off the ground, floating to the cockpit of his CGUE.

He was going to end this right here and now.

* * *

Elsewhere

The Raven stopped about halfway between the _Archangel_ and the ZAFT fleet as the Aegis approached. The Aegis stopped in front of the Raven as Chris aimed his shield cannon at the red Gundam's head.

"Open your cockpit," said Chris. The Aegis's cockpit opened, and Chris opened his own cockpit.

"_Why did you request me?_" asked the pilot.

"Because of that battle before Artemis Base. You had the chance to blow both Kira and I away, yet you didn't," replied Chris. "I figured that if anyone would let me escape without a fight, it'd be you." He turned to Lacus. "Say something."

"Huh?"

"He can't see your face from here," explained Chris. "He has to confirm that it's you."

"Oh, I understand now," said Lacus. She waved to the Aegis pilot. "Hello Athrun, it's me! It's very nice to see you again!" Chris blinked. Lacus knew the pilot of the Aegis…? Wait! The pilot was Athrun Zala, Lacus's fiancée?!

Before he had time to contemplate this, Chris realized Haro was trying to say something, and was suddenly very happy they were in a vacuum—there wasn't any sound.

"_I confirm, it's Lacus,_" said Athrun.

"Then get ready to receive her," said Chris. He looked at Lacus again. "This is where we part ways, Miss Clyne."

As Athrun emerged from the Aegis, Chris gently pushed Lacus out of the Raven's cockpit, sending her floating towards the Aegis. Athrun grabbed her hand and steadied her.

Chris was about to close the hatch when Athrun called to him.

"_Wait!_"

"What?" asked Chris.

"_You're a Coordinator, aren't you?_" asked Athrun.

"Yes."

"_Then come with us! There's no reason for you, or Kira, or the pilot of the Dauntless to remain with the Earth Forces!_"

"No," said Chris simply.

"_But—_"

"Behind me is the _Archangel_. I won't abandon her. Everything I love is onboard that ship. And the same goes for Kira and Makoto," said Chris.

"_I—_" began Athrun, but he was cut off.

"_CHRIS!_"

At that instant, a beam of energy tore past the Raven, missing the mobile suit by mere feet.

It was the blood red CGUE, its destroyed railgun replaced with some kind of beam weapon. But that wasn't what truly caught Chris off guard. It was the voice that shouted at him.

* * *

_Flashback_

_Junius Seven Seven Years Ago_

_Chris walked up to the battered boy laying on the ground. "You okay?" he asked, kneeling down._

"_Yeah..." the boy said. "You didn't have to help me."_

"_True. But it was three against one and wasn't about to let a bunch of spineless bullies beat up somebody." he replied, extending his hand. "Here."_

_The boy took his hand and Chris helped him get back up to his feet. The boy was in pretty rough shape. He had a number of bruises and cuts but nothing appeared to be broken. "C'mon, I'll take you to my parents. They're doctors." he said, helping the injured boy walk to his house. "My name's Chris, Chris Dante."_

"_I'm Zane Scirocco."_

* * *

"No… It can't be…" he whispered.

"_It's been quite awhile, Chris,_" said Zane, aiming the CGUE's thermal cannon at the Raven.

Chris froze. "But how… Junius Seven was destroyed…"

"_Isn't it obvious? Like you, I wasn't there,_" he replied. "_Why did you betray your own kind?! Why are you fighting for those bastards?!_"

Chris shook his head. This wasn't the Zane he knew. The Zane he knew was a pacifist, who hated violence in all its forms. "What happened to you Zane? Once, you hated the idea of wars. So why are you in the cockpit of that mobile suit?"

"_The Zane you knew, died alongside Junius Seven!_" shouted Zane. "_Now die traitor!_"

The thermal cannon fired again, but the shot went wide. "Damn it!" Zane cursed as he began to properly calibrate the weapon. "You stupid weapon!"

Chris brought the Raven's railguns to bear. But… He just couldn't bring himself to fire. Zane, on the other hand, was more than able to fire again.

This time, the round hit its target, tearing through the left side of the Raven's head. Fortunately, the weapon didn't measure up to the actual beam weapons of the stolen prototypes, and it didn't destroy the Raven's head. Instead, it tore up the armor on the left side of the head and damaged the camera in the left eye.

"_Stop!_" shouted Lacus. "_Are you trying to start a battle in the presence of a War Memorial Representative?_"

"_Are you joking? Are you that stupid?!_" said Zane. "_This is war! There are no rules, but to wipe out your opponent! It doesn't stop because of some prissy, weak, pink haired brat wants it to!_"

"_Even if what you said was true, without morals we're nothing more than bloodthirsty murderers you son of a bitch!_" came a new voice suddenly, and before anyone could react, a fist crushed the head of Zane's CGUE and moved the entire mobile suit into alignment with a pair of machine cannons that began pummeling it, tearing apart the entire front exterior.

The blue eyes unique to the Dauntless flashed brightly as the Gundam backed away from the crippled mobile suit.

"_The only reason I don't kill you now is because Lacus is here,_" said Makoto. "_But a monster like you only deserves death…_"

"_Zane, return to the ship at once,_" said Rau.

"But…"

"Now_. Or your punishment will be worse._"

Zane reluctantly did as ordered, following the Aegis with his crippled machine.

Meanwhile, the Dauntless carried the Raven back to the _Archangel_, as Chris was still numb from the shocking revalation of the CGUE pilot's identity. Chris didn't say anything as the Raven entered the _Archangel_'s hanger. He didn't say anything as armed guards pulled him from the cockpit. Nor did he say anything as they threw him in the brig.

All his thoughts were on Zane. How could he become so consumed by anger and hatred? How could he just turn his back to everything he believed in?

Most of all, he wondered if he'd ever see the friend he once knew again.

* * *

Just after Chris was taken away

_Archangel_ Hangar

"Makoto? Thank you," said Liz. "Thanks for saving my brother out there."

Makoto smiled wearily. It had been a long day.

"Don't worry about it," said Makoto. "I haven't done anything to be worthy of your thanks anyway." Makoto suddenly glanced down, shame in her posture. It was at that instant that Liz remembered their previous argument.

"With everything that's been going on, I'd almost forgotten about our last real conversation," said Makoto. "We'll… we'll talk about it later, after we've gotten some rest, okay?"

Liz nodded.

"I understand," said Liz. "And… it's great to have you back."

Makoto smiled. "It's good to be back," she said. "If not for my friends, then what do I have to live for?" She turned to look at Liz directly. "Dreams aren't worth losing everything you love over, right?"

"Yeah," said Liz, nodding in agreement.

* * *

**Author's Note: Well now, I hope everyone enjoyed that. It was pretty fun to write. Makoto and Liz still have some issues to work out between them, stemming from events in the last chapter, but their situation causes both to set it aside for much of the chapter, though the hangar scene makes it evident that things were at least tense when everything got started.**

**Also, that will be the only time Makoto "fights" Zane. And she only beat him because he was so obsessively focused on Chris at the time.**

**I liked writing out the scene of Kira and Lacus. Those of you who have read the novelization will recognize that some of the thoughts and reactions were written directly from that, along with the use of Tolle in place of Miriallia and Sai. I always preferred that, since I felt Tolle didn't get enough screentime compared to the other two, so his death becomes less tragic for the viewers than when, let's say, Mu "died", and even Nicol's death was quite a bit more tragic than Tolle's.**

**I'm not sure to what extent I'll have Zane's "psychopathic evil behavior" maintained. While I still plan on having Zane be the one to destroy the shuttle, I intend to alter Yzak's actions some--such as his retreat from the battle with Kira. Given Yzak's state of mind at the time, a retreat just doesn't make sense, even if it would kill him.**

**Although Makoto does the best so far, it's mostly because she's dealing with mere GINNs--the difference in piloting skill just can't make up the difference between the abilities of their machines. While Chris assesses both Kira and Makoto as better than him, it's up to interpretation whether or not he's right. And his statement about the Raven being the weakest of the machines has a certain amount of truth in it: while it is powerful, it's one of the older models. The Strike has versatility, and the Guardian has firepower and speed, while the Dauntless has mobility and a fair amount of power behind it. The reason is because the Strike and Dauntless were built more as attacker/assault units, and the Guardian as a high-speed attacker/defender (though the original defensive systems were removed). The Raven, in contrast, was built as more of a support unit. That's not to say it's genuinely weaker than the others, just that it's got less combat potential and effectiveness than the others as a result of these limits.**

**Anyways, next chapter, we get to see Kira first activate the SEED in order to bring down Yzak and Nicol. That should be fun... by my estimate, it's equal to Kira vs. Yzak, Makoto vs. Erik, Chris vs. Saul, Mu vs. Dearka, and Liz vs. Nicol--except that Liz's inexperience make her ineffective, though I'm thinking of having her support Mu against Dearka instead. Not entirely sure yet.**

**Oh well, I'll figure it out. Now please press the big button in the middle of the bottom of the page, the one that says Review.**

**Ja ne!  
**


	9. Phase 08: The Awakening Sword

**Finally! This chapter was a pain to write, trying to get all of the early parts of it right. I mean, the first scene with Flay and the "Trial" didn't need to be changed, but I had some trouble working through the rest of it. Oh well, it's an enjoyable chapter, and I think the battle was pretty well done as well.**

**Just a reminder: this story is a rehash of Akatsuki Leader 13's _Gundam SEED: A Retelling_, and the only OCs that I own are Makoto Arata and Erik Saharin. The only OMSs I own are the Dauntless, Guardian, and Resolute.  
**

* * *

Phase Eight: The Awakening Sword

February 9, C.E. 71

* * *

_Archangel_ Brig

Chris opened his eyes when he heard the sound of the doors to the brig open. "Hello Flay," he said.

The girl looked worse than before. Her hair was a mess. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. Her demeanor was that of someone who was utterly broken.

"How do you make it go away?" she said quietly.

"Make what go away?"

"The pain! This wretched pain that won't stop eating away at me!" shouted Flay as she grabbed the bars of the cell. "I just want it to stop!"

Chris was quiet for a moment, thinking of how to phrase his answer.

"It never truly goes away," he said at last. "All you can do is let it consume you or use it. Ignoring those feelings will cause them to bottle up and destroy you from the inside, which is what nearly happened to me. 'Dealing' with the feelings, isn't any better. They just bottle up slower. The only effective way to deal with the anger, the sorrow, the pain… Is to harness those feelings and use them for something other than vengeance. That is what I was taught after Junius Seven."

"How?"

"That's up to you," said Chris. "I put mine into my guitar and my martial arts training. And now I use it to protect this ship as well. But that's just me. Just find something to dedicate your time and energy to."

"Could you… teach me?"

"What?"

"Teach me how to play the guitar. Teach me your martial arts skills. Teach me anything," said Flay desperately. "Anything to make me feel something besides this pain."

He stared at her for a moment before sighing. "Alright. When I get out of here, I'll teach you some things. So long as you obey my instructions to the letter. But until then… you might consider talking to Makoto. She's a martial artist, and a good one if her performance at Artemis is anything to go by. She might teach you until I get out of here, but it's hard to say."

* * *

Unoccupied Officer's Quarters

"Listen, Liz, I… I'm sorry," said Makoto. Liz was quiet, staring at the redhead who had quickly become her best friend after the events of Heliopolis.

"Why?" asked Liz softly. "Why are you trying so hard to bottle everything up?"

"Because I'm not stupid," said Makoto. "Everyone _is_ looking to me for support—you, Kira, and Chris most of all, though all of you lean on each other for support as well. If a leader shows weakness, it can shatter morale, which is critical in war."

Liz blinked. She hadn't quite thought of it that way.

"Okay, that makes sense," said Liz slowly. "But we don't expect you to be a leader. It's important for all of us to know that you really are still one of us."

"Maybe…" said Makoto. "But… I'm also ashamed…"

"Ashamed? But what could you…?"

Makoto was silent, and Liz decided to drop it—she didn't want to be fighting with Makoto again.

* * *

The Next Morning

"The defendant fails to understand how much his actions endangered the safety of the ship," said Natarle.

"Your Honor, that statement is a gross exaggeration. I ask that it be stricken from the record," said Mu.

"I authorize its omission," said Murrue.

"Let's see," said Mu, scanning the military law book in his hands. "First off, I believe that taking a civilian as a hostage goes against Article 4 of the Corsica Treaty."

"The actions taken come under Exception Section C of the same article," replied Natarle.

"Section C… Ah…" said Mu frantically flipping through the pages of the book. "Well… The ZAFT mobile suits did withdraw eventually and the warships didn't immediately pursue us because of the release of the hostage."

"But the situation could have ended differently. And the Raven was damaged as a result of his reckless actions, and may have been destroyed if it weren't for the intervention of the Dauntless."

_Damn. She makes it sound like I was out on a joyride._

Murrue looked up at the defendant. "Christopher Dante, is there anything you would like to say in your defense?"

"I accept full responsibility for my actions," said Chris. "I accept any punishment you have prepared. I simply ask that you spare Kira, Liz and the others. It was my idea and I forced them to go along with it. They shouldn't be punished for it."

"Christopher Dante, your actions were in violation of Article 3, Section B, in violation of Article 10, Section F and in violation of Article 13, Section 3 of military law. In accordance with military law, I have no choice but to sentence you to death."

Chris just stood there, dumbstruck. Death? Okay, that was the one thing he wasn't prepared for. He thought they'd lock him up for a while. Or give him some demeaning task like toilet cleaning. But execution? Wasn't that a bit much?

"However, this is purely a sentence for those under court martial," said Murrue. "Military law has no provisions on civilians. I call upon Christopher Dante to consider his actions more seriously from now on. Court is adjourned."

Chris breathed a sigh of relief. "Wow… I was scared there for a moment," he said. "Oh, and Lieutenant La Flaga. Remind me to never hire your services again for legal matters."

"Then don't go and disobey orders again," said Mu with a grin, tossing the law book away. "Cause I wouldn't defend you next time around."

Chris chuckled as he exited the room. Outside, Kira, Liz, Tolle, Miriallia, and Makoto were waiting for him. "Well?" asked Liz. "What'd they say?"

"They let me off with a warning."

"What?! Just a warning!" shouted Liz in disbelief. "They gave me, Kira, and Tolle latrine duty."

"That sucks," he replied nonchalantly.

"Hey! Isn't this where you're suppose to say, 'I'm sorry. I'll help you guys out'?" said Liz.

"I think you have me confused with someone like Kira," said Chris. "I'm not that selfless. You guys can scrub toilets. I'm not touching them."

Liz punched him. "Ow! What was that for?!"

"You know what that was for! And next time, I'm getting a food tray!"

Makoto shook her head. "Chris, you're going to help them."

"Why should I?"

"Because you want to choose whether or not to stick around. And no one wants to see you shipped back to Orb in a full body cast."

"What? You think you could take me?" said Chris. Makoto smirked.

"Chris… have you learned nothing?" she asked sweetly. Chris shivered and opened his mouth to reply before closing it and rubbing his head nervously… in the same spot Flay had hit it with a food tray.

"Right!" he said. "I'll help out with the toilets! What about you?"

Makoto continued to smirk. "Well, since three of our pilots are busy cleaning toilets," she said mildly. "I'm going to be pulling double duty with the lieutenant and mechanics to maintain all of our machines."

"What?! You insist that I help, but you refuse to help yourself?!"

"Nah, I consider it your punishment for the damage to the Raven."

"Now you're sounding like Ensign Badgiruel…"

_WHAM!_

"… Ouch…" muttered Chris, rubbing his now bruised arm. What frightened him was that he thought Makoto pulled that punch.

"You know, to be honest, I was kind of worried," said Tolle, his tone drawing the attention of the others. It didn't seem like he was referring to the unexpected attack on Chris. "About Kira taking Lacus back to ZAFT…" He looked at Kira apologetically. "I… I overheard you talking with her. About your friend. The Aegis pilot."

The others froze as Kira sucked in a shocked breath. Tolle smiled reassuringly.

"Don't worry, it doesn't change anything," said Tolle. "I was just a little worried… but somehow, I felt that you'd have come back, if it had been you to hand her over. Even if you hadn't… well, it's not like any of us could blame you."

Chris looked away, realizing how similar Kira's situation was to his own. And it made sense, too—why else would Athrun not have fired on the Raven and Strike back at Artemis?

At the same time, it occurred to him how different their situations were: Athrun still cared about Kira, still _wanted_ him as a friend.

The same couldn't be said for Zane.

Makoto looked from Kira to Chris. Having heard everything that was spoken on the radio, she was perhaps the only one who realized just what the meaning behind Chri's contemplative and pained expression was.

* * *

Later

Chris stepped into the hanger, where crews were working on the Raven, repairing its damaged head. He approached his aunt, who was overseeing the repairs.

"How's the repairs going?" asked Chris.

"We've repaired the internal damage and replaced the armor on the side of the head. Unfortunately, we don't exactly have a spare faceplate to replace the damaged one," said Johanna. "We're gonna ding out the scratches and put in a metal plate under the faceplate to protect the internal components. But that will weaken the strength of the head's armor as a whole."

"Got it."

"What happened out there?"

"It's something I alone must deal with."

"Well. Are you staying then?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Well, you're not the only one. I won't be leaving with the rest of the civilians. I'll be staying to finish observing and compiling the combat data on these four machines before leaving for Orb and Morgenroete with the data."

* * *

The _Gamow_

"While it is possible to catch up with them, by the time we reach them, we'll have only ten minutes until we're within firing range of the Lunar Fleet," said Nicol, studying the tactical board intently.

"You mean we'll have a full ten minutes," said Dearka.

"I suggest that cowards keep their traps shut."

"Shut up Yzak," said Saul. "It's unlikely that the five of us could stand a chance with the legged ship, the mobile suits and the Lunar Fleet. You know that."

"Is there only ten minutes or a full ten minutes? It's all in how you look at it," said Yzak smugly. "If we have a window of opportunity to strike, then we should take it."

"I agree. The success of a surprise attack isn't measured by the actual time spent," said Dearka.

Erik snorted. "Sure, maybe, but consider our forces," he said. "We have five mobile suits, and they've got four mobile suits plus a mobile armor. And unlike most ships, the legged ship itself is no pushover. I agree that we need to take this chance—but I also don't think it will work. If we're lucky, we'll get one of the targets."

"I heard the _Vesalius_ and Alaric Team will be turning back once Miss Clyne has been handed over to the Laconi Team," said Yzak, resisting the urge to grit his teeth at Erik's words. "We'll destroy the legged ship _and_ its mobile suits before that happens. Now, when Athrun isn't around to mess up."

Erik glanced up at Yzak and shook his head in exasperation. Saul and Nicol felt much the same.

* * *

The _Archangel_

"Okay Flay. I'm gonna teach how to fight," said Chris. "Now, this is to be used only for defense. Of either yourself or someone else. Not to beat people up or try to get vengeance on someone. If I've found out that you've been doing that, I won't teach anymore.

Chris grabbed a bag sitting on his bed. "Put this on," he said, handing her the bag.

"But this is a boy's uniform."

"Yeah," he replied as he headed out of the room, to allow her to change. "All the women's uniforms have skirts. And those aren't practical for what we're going to do."

A few minutes later, Flay had changed and they began. Chris started off by teaching her some basic exercises. She was okay at it. He had seen people better at it. And he'd seen people worse at it. But she was determined. He'd give her that.

"Come to think of it, did you ask Makoto to teach you?" asked Chris as they took a short break. Flay nodded.

"Yeah, but she said no," said Flay. "She said you'd be a better teacher—and that she wasn't allowed to teach anyone anything she had learned."

"Okay… well, I never understood that girl anyways," said Chris. "Let's continue."

* * *

_Archangel_ Hangar

"You know, I'm curious about something," came Johanna's voice, causing Makoto to look up from her work on the Dauntless.

"Yes, what is it?" asked Makoto curiously.

"Well, you never did clarify how you knew that your parents had designed these machines," said Johanna. "And I'm also curious about your attachment to them—and just how it is that you're dealing with that loss so well. Chris pretty much suffered a mental breakdown when David and Claire died."

Makoto paused in her typing, frowning slightly.

"Well, in order I suppose," she said quietly. She climbed out of the Dauntless, moving to stand next to Johanna on the catwalk, looking up at the head of the mobile suit.

"I've always been fascinated by mobile suits," said Makoto softly. "I'm not really sure how to describe, but… I guess you could say that I felt it was like mobile suits were a step towards putting humanity back into warfare. It's no longer such passive things as fighters and tanks, but instead, warriors. With mobile suits, there's more to it all than the power behind the machine. I mean, sure, the technological superiority is still a factor, but there's so much more to it than that."

Johanna stared at Makoto, eyes suddenly widening.

"That sounds like…" she began, but Makoto smiled at her, putting a finger to her lips.

"Shh, be quiet about that," she said. "Sufficed to say, though, that, yes, Misuumi Taiyonoha was my martial arts instructor."

"You…" murmured Johanna.

"Back to the subject matter—the answer to all three questions is one and the same," interrupted Makoto. "I created models of mobile suits to display in my room—including a custom model that we see on full-scale right in front of us. My parents built the Dauntless based on my model—and the others are offshoots, in a way. I guess that's how I cope—because the Dauntless is a tribute to how much my parents cared for me. I admit, a part of me wants revenge for what happened, but it's more like a convenient bonus at this point. As long as the Dauntless is with me, my parents are with me."

Johanna stared in amazement at the soft green eyes of the young woman next to her, amazed by the redhead's apparent maturity.

"They're right," she said softly, drawing Makoto's attention. Johanna shook her head and smiled. "You really are amazing, you know that?"

"Not really," said Makoto, looking away.

At that instant, the alarm sounded.

* * *

The Gunbarrel Strike and the Dauntless were the first to launch from the _Archangel_, with the Raven and Guardian following soon after. The Moebius Zero, despite having the best pilot, was the weakest machine and the last to be sent out.

Meanwhile, the five ZAFT machines clustered together as their Phase Shift armor activated, before breaking apart to reveal a blast from their mothership's main cannon blazing across space where they just were. One of the twin beams missed the _Archangel_, but the other one grazed its port side.

"Using their mobile suits to conceal the firing position. That's very cute," said Mu over the radio. The others couldn't help but agree with him. "Hey, Kira, be careful with those gunbarrels, okay?"

"Roger that," said Kira.

The Moebius Zero deployed its gunbarrels and brought everything it had to bear on the Buster. Dearka dodged several rounds, but the bulk of them hit the Buster, jarring him slightly.

"Nicol, we'll lure the mobile suits away, get the ship!" said Yzak.

"Roger that," said Nicol as the Blitz moved away from the others. Yzak dove straight for the Strike, while Saul activated the Surge's thrusters, propelling him at high speeds for the Raven, and the Resolute opened up on the Dauntless.

Seeing the Blitz breaking away, Liz transformed the Guardian into mobile armor mode and took off after the black mobile suit, while Mu turned the Zero to pursue. Unfortunately, Dearka took exception to that, and fired off rounds from both his weapons to cut off pursuit.

"Hawk of Endymion or not, you can't hurt me with your current weapons," said Dearka. "It shouldn't be too hard to keep both of you occupied long enough for Nicol to finish this."

"Damn it," cursed Mu.

"Now I've got you!" shouted Yzak

Kira's eyes narrowed as the Duel pilot recklessly charged at him. That might've worked a few weeks ago, but Kira wasn't going to panic again the way he had on the trip to Artemis. Kira fired a shot from his rifle, which was blocked by the Duel's shield, and then deployed two of the gunbarrels, surrounding the Duel and letting loose with all twenty-eight missiles in the pod. Yzak, taken by surprise, only evaded a few of them, and shot down a few more—but was hit by nineteen of them. He brought his shield up to block the beam gatling fire from one gunbarrel as he evaded fire from another.

"Damn you!" shouted Yzak.

The Raven and Surge traded shots, twin cannon against rifle, as they closed in on one another. Once in range, Saul fired the Hakenfurst at the Raven, but Chris evaded, and snapped out a hand to grab it and yank the wire, pulling the Surge toward him. Caught off-guard, Saul could do nothing as Chris slammed the Raven's knee into his mobile suit's chest, jarring him badly and taking a chunk out of the Phase Shift armor.

"I really need to thank Kira for suggesting that," said Chris with a slight chuckle as he shot several rounds from his cannon into the momentarily vulnerable Surge.

Bullets and beam bullets bounced off the shield of the Dauntless as Makoto deftly evaded the rest of the fire from the Resolute. Gritting his teeth, growing increasingly frustrated by how this one rookie seemed to repeatedly outclass him, Erik fired off a barrage of missile, letting up on his gatling fire to avoid shooting them down.

Seeing the barrage of missiles incoming, Makoto smiled. She'd been waiting for this.

Unfolding the cannons in the Dauntless's shoulders, Makoto opened up with the cannons and Igelstellungs, obliterating the barrage, and fired the Exia at the Resolute. Erik evaded the shot, but more kept incoming, with the cannons now adding to the barrage.

"So, you wanna play it that way, huh?" said Erik, opening fire with his full arsenal once again.

Nicol evaded the two rounds blasted by the Archangel's aft cannons and activated his Mirage Colloid, flipping over towards the ship's bow, and opening fire. But even as he did so, the depth charges exploded, several of them directly in the path of his shots, deflecting them entirely, and a half-dozen missiles blasted towards him. He wasn't worried—even if they knew the general area he was in, the odds of being hit were slim-to-none.

That was when the warheads outer casing fell apart, and dozens of shrapnel darts blasted out from each. Eyes widening, Nicol activated his Phase Shift armor, dropping the Mirage Colloid, and brought his shield up to block.

"That's right, this machine once belonged to you," said Nicol. "Of course you know its weaknesses." As the barrage ended, Nicol reactivated the Mirage Colloid. He'd have to close in before attacking, this time.

Although the shrapnel was useless against Phase Shift armor, and it would've taken a full warhead to cause any real damage, since the power necessary to maintain the cloak required him to deactivate his PS armor, the Blitz was left vulnerable while he was cloaked.

As Nicol closed in, though, it became apparent that the ship's captain had anticipated his tactics, as their CIWS guns suddenly opened up, firing in all directions. Nicol reactivated his Phase Shift armor, unable to withstand such a barrage without it.

"Damn pests!" said Dearka, letting loose a barrage of missiles at the Zero's gunbarrels. Unfortunately, he only got one of them, and the Zero dove past him before swinging around and letting off a round at the Buster. Dearka evaded, but a massive explosion hit the Buster's side, shaking Dearka as the Guardian flew past after hitting him with four grenades, one after the other.

"You won't win!" said Liz, transforming the Guardian into mobile suit mode, drawing a beam saber, and closing in on the Buster. As she swung the saber, the Buster released its beam rifle and snapped its hand up, grabbing the Guardian's wrist to prevent the blade from cutting the machine apart. Unfortunately, that was Mu's cue to begin assaulting him with everything the Zero had.

"Damn it!" shouted Dearka as the Buster shook under the heavy fire.

The Duel shook under a second missile barrage, though it wasn't as heavy as the first had been. He glared down at his power readings—thirty-two percent. He wouldn't last much longer. Damn it, those gunbarrels were annoying as all hell! He was having a hard time trying to close in with the Strike, and it was obvious his rifle would no longer work against it.

Though he was sweating slightly, Kira watched the Duel's movements with the calm of a veteran pilot as the stolen Gundam dodged and blocked the beams firing in at it as effectively as the pilot could. Unfortunately, Kira also knew that he couldn't keep this up much longer either, though given the missile impacts, he was probably better off then the Duel was. He glanced at the power readout—fifty-one percent—and pulled his gunbarrels back in, attached his rifle to the storage rack on the Strike's waist, and drew one of the beam sabers as he charged the disoriented pilot of the Duel.

Although the Duel managed to bring its shield up in time to block a fatal blow, it was obvious which of them held the advantage.

Dual anti-beam coated swords met twin sabers as the Surge and Raven attempted to overpower one another. While the Raven was built more for support than offense, unlike the Surge, in terms of strength, the two were virtually equal.

"You're pretty good at this," said Saul mildly, despite how serious he was about the situation. "I'm gonna have to try harder, before you're too good for me to beat."

"_Are you sure you're not just overestimating me?_" asked the Raven pilot as the two broke apart and opened up with their guns once more.

"Not unless I'm underestimating myself and the Alaric Team," said Saul, backing away and activating his thrusters. As he began to fly circles around the Raven, he opened up with his rifle, but his opponent countered by switching to mobile armor mode and flying away, leaving the two machines to try and get on one another's tail.

Erik couldn't help it. He laughed. He laughed like some kind of maniac.

Both of their machines were out of bullets. The only thing he had left was the double gatling and the beam sabers. His missiles, Igelstellungs, gatling cannons, and machine cannons were all empty. And the same could be said for the Dauntless.

The Dauntless flew at him, and Makoto's sword crashed against Erik's saber before the two broke apart. Makoto fired a blast from the Exia, but Erik deflected with the Resolute's shield, then responded in kind with a barrage of beam bullets. Makoto, likewise, deflected the assault with her own shield as she dove in.

Erik shifted, and holstered his gatling shield behind the Resolute's left shoulder, shooting the second beam saber from his machine's wrist. Makoto, frowning, attached the Exia to its storage wrack on the Dauntless's right hip, and drew both of her anti-armor swords, the blades all clashing together as the Dauntless crashed into the Resolute, the pilots vying for dominance.

Erik glanced at his mission clock and paled.

_Seventy-three seconds…_ he thought.

Nicol deftly evaded the fire from the _Archangel_ as the ship shook under a blast from the _Gamow_. Taking advantage of the distraction, Nicol flew past the ship's cannons, and landed next to the bridge tower, firing shot after shot into the tower, attempting to overheat and pierce the laminated armor.

"_Kira! Chris! Makoto! The enemy's beside the bridge!_" came Miriallia's panicked voice, drawing everyone's attention.

"_Damn it,_" said Chris as the Raven ducked under a sword swing by the Surge. "_Kira, Makoto, can you do something? I ca… ugh!_" The Raven tumbled about wildly from the vicious kick from the Surge, interrupting Chris.

Pushing the Duel away, Kira turned to see the Blitz firing repeatedly at the bridge tower.

"No!" cried Kira. If the armor failed, his friends would be…

As the Duel charged in at the motionless Strike, a jewel-like seed shattered behind the violet eyes of the young pilot.

Evading the Duel with seemingly impossible agility, Kira lashed out with the Strike's saber, gouging a hole in the armor near the cockpit, before blazing with all his thrusters and those of the gunbarrels for the _Archangel_.

_What… what is this?_ questioned Makoto as her head and eyes throbbed in pain, like staring into a blinding light, the source of which was the Strike flying through the battlefield.

"You're not getting away from me, you coward!" shouted Yzak, firing his rifle repeatedly at the Strike. But as though it were sensing where he would fire before he even knew, the Strike flawlessly evaded the shots, causing Yzak's eyes to widen.

"Stop it now!" cried Kira, lashing out with his saber at the Blitz. The black Gundam dodged by jumping back, but quicker than anyone could react, the Strike jumped up after it, kneeing the Blitz in the torso.

The Duel charged from behind, and Kira sprang one of the Strike's assault knives, grabbing hold of it, ducking beneath the Duel's swing while deploying gunbarrels, and stabbed the knife straight into the damaged section of the Duel's armor. Meanwhile, his deployed gunbarrels cut off the Blitz from the _Archangel_, while the last of their missiles was fired at the Blitz.

An explosion rocked the Duel, sending it floating away from the Strike, as the Blitz rushed over and grabbed hold of the crippled machine.

"Yzak, are you alright? Yzak?" asked Nicol.

"_It burns… it burns… it burns!_" came Yzak's pained voice.

"Saul, Dearka, Erik! We have to retreat! The enemy fleet's almost within firing range!" said Nicol.

"_Damn it!_" cursed Dearka as the Buster pulled back. The Resolute and Surge broke away from the Dauntless and Raven as well.

"_What is it with that ship and those suits?_" asked Saul. "_No matter what we bring against them, they always manage to beat us back._"

"_They're good,_" said Erik. "_We're gonna need more than what we have now if we're to beat them._"

The Strike set down on the bow of the _Archangel_, recalling its gunbarrels. As it did so, the pain in Makoto's head faded, as Kira panted heavily.

"_That was amazing Kira!_" said Chris as the Raven pulled alongside the _Archangel_.

"_Yeah, you were unbelievable!_" said Liz.

"_Unbelievable is an understatement,_" said Mu, a cheeky grin evident in his voice. "_Their right, kid, you're incredible._"

"_Not really,_" said Kira.

Makoto was silent, her thoughts more heavily focused on that light and pain that had filled her head… and what it might have to do with what Kira had done.

"_The 8__th__ Fleet is here!_" came Tonomura's voice over the radio. Everyone looked up to see countless blinking red lights, as dozens of warships closed with the _Archangel_.

* * *

**Author's Note: Originally, I'd planned on extending this chapter to include the meeting with Halberton and the battle of Orbit, but I decided not too. While it would've made for a good, long chapter, consistent with everything else, I wanted to end it here, since I figure a lot of people would like to comment on Makoto towards the end of the battle.**

**On a sidenote regarding Makoto, it seems Johanna knows something about her as well, now... you realize I'm going to keep teasing you with small bits of information regarding her, right?**

**Anyways, please leave a review! The next chapter will be longer than this one, combining the next two episodes worth of the anime--or the rest of the chapter from _Gundam SEED: A Retelling_, however you prefer to view it.  
**


	10. Phase 09: Stars Falling in Space

**To be honest, I wanted to post the next chapter of _The White Queen_ first, but I had this one most finished anyways, so...**

**I apologize for the lack of updates! I was going to visit one of my parents, but as it happens, I forgot my keyboard--the one on my laptop is so bad that I could spend as much as a half hour getting one small paragraph right. I hate that thing...**

**Anyways, as a result, my work has all been severely delayed, and for that, I apologize. I will make up for it with two updates to _The White Queen_ by the end of Saturday, so look forward to it.**

**This one didn't come out quite how I hoped--or rather, the final part of the chapter, following the traditional "destruction of the shuttle" scene, did not work out anywhere near as well as I had hoped. Still, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam SEED. I don't own the Dantes, the Alaric Team, Saul Kessel, or Zane Scirocco. Likewise, I do not own their machines (well, technically, I guess Zane's CGUE would be mine...). They belong to Akatsuki Leader13, from his fanfic, _Gundam SEED: A Retelling_, of which this story is a rewrite. The OCs Makoto Arata and Erik Saharin are mine. The OMSs Dauntless Gundam, Resolute Gundam, and Guardian Gundam are also mine.  
**

* * *

Phase Nine: Stars Falling in Space

February 12th, C.E. 71

* * *

_Archangel_ Rear Observation Deck

Makoto stared silently out the rear observation deck, hand against the window, eyes wandering across the visible ships of the 8th Fleet. Her mind, however, was repeatedly turning over yesterday's events.

Even now, it hurt to just think about that… that light that Kira had seemed to glow with as he took on—and nearly destroyed—both the Duel and the Blitz. Makoto and Chris had their hands full just dealing with a single Gundam, and Liz had needed to work with Mu to keep up with the Buster, but Kira had managed to almost effortlessly defeat the Duel and the Blitz while engulfed in that light.

What was more is that Makoto had noticed something she hadn't before.

Kira was… different, from most people. Yet he was surrounded by people like him.

Even when he no longer shined like the sun, there was still a faint glow to him, like a nightlight that Makoto could feel in her mind, though only when he was close enough. She'd never noticed it before because she hadn't been, metaphorically speaking, "blinded" by that nova of light. Everything seemed dark, now, save for that glow on the edge of her mind and senses when she was near Kira.

And it wasn't just Kira, either. Chris had that same glow, and Makoto could feel the glow within herself, as well, which may have accounted for why she didn't notice it in others before. Her own "glow", oddly enough, seemed to fluctuate in strength—at times, it would be a little weaker than the others, but often, the glow was much stronger. It was probably because it was herself she was sensing, though.

The hand against the window curled into a fist.

"Damn it," whispered Makoto. "What the hell's going on here?"

* * *

The _Archangel_ Hanger

A Few Hours Later

"We've joined up with the Fleet. So why are we in such a hurry to get this fixed up?" asked Kira, his head sticking out of the cockpit of the Moebius Zero.

"Because I don't feel secure with it damaged," said Mu in an off-hand manner.

"Heh, the pilots of the 8th Fleet are all wet behind the ear," added Murdoch. "If we come under attack, they'll all come running to the Hawk to save them."

"But what about the Gu… er… the mobile suits?" asked Kira. "Should we leave them as is?"

"Huh… hadn't thought of that," said Mu, looking at the four mobile suits in question. "Well… If we change the OS back, it would reduce the specs. That's a problem."

"Actually, it doesn't matter for the Raven," said Chris as he floated up. "I'm staying."

"What?" asked Kira, shocked. "You're staying?"

"Yeah," said Chris, nodding. "There's something I need to do. And I can't do it unless I stay. But like I said before, you don't have to do what I do, Kira. Make up your own mind."

"Well, the Guardian won't need adjustments either," said Liz. "If Chris sticks around, so do I."

"No, you…" started Chris.

"Brother dear," said Liz in an overly sweet tone that had the others shivering. "Have you learned nothing?"

"Shutting up."

"Well, that's interesting," said Mu. "What about you, Makoto?"

The redhead in question looked up from where she'd been slowing spinning as she floated through the hangar, typing on her compact computer.

"I'll be sticking around," she said, turning her attention back to the computer. "I knew that much before we reached Artemis."

"Then I guess I won't have to convince you," said Murrue, floating to the group.

"Captain?" asked Mu in confusion.

"Sorry to interrupt," said Murrue, smiling softly. "I just wanted to talk with Kira."

"Huh?" said Kira, staring at her.

"Don't give me that suspicious look. Though I can't really say that I blame you," said Murrue. "Come. Let's get out of their hair and talk, Kira."

The two floated away, towards the Strike.

"With all that's happening, you and I really haven't gotten much of a chance to talk," said Murrue. Turning to look at Kira with a smile, she continued. "Well, I just wanted to thank you properly this time."

"Huh?"

"I'm well aware that I put you through a great deal of hardship," said Murrue. "And I'm truly grateful for what you've done for us." She bowed to him.

"Huh? Uh…" muttered Kira. "But… what about…"

"Yes, the others contributed greatly as well, but it has been you who has done the most for the protection of this ship," said Murrue. "Particularly in that last battle. And I can't thank you enough."

* * *

_Archangel_ Crew Quarters

A Short While Later

"What?!" cried Miriallia. "You guys are staying?!"

Flay, Sai and Tolle all had similar expressions.

"Yes. Could you tone it down?" asked Chris.

"This is a decision we all came too independently," said Makoto, before glancing at Liz. "Well, maybe not. Liz is better suited to keeping her idiot brother in line, after all."

"I'm not an idiot," said Chris, though he seemed to be faking the offended behavior.

"Yes, you are," said Liz. "If you weren't, Makoto, Flay, and I wouldn't have to keep teaching you the same lesson over and over again."

Makoto left, and everyone else watched as Chris and Liz began to argue over the formers intelligence. Save for Flay, who was deep in thought. She needed Chris, to help her deal with her pain. She honestly didn't believe that she could deal with it on her own at the moment. She was going to stay. She _needed_ to stay.

* * *

Aboard the _Vesalius_

"The legged ship is now with Admiral Halberton's 8th Fleet," said Rau. "Based on their position, we can safely believe that they are going to send the legged ship to Earth. But we should try one last time before leave our backyard."

"_We can be assured that they'll protect the legged ship with everything they have. Even with their very lives,_" said Diana Kessel. John had once again chosen sit this battle out, for reasons he refused to discuss. However, he'd been behaving this way since the failed assassination attempt months ago, and he trusted Diana implicitly, so everyone was used to it.

"But remember, the 8th Fleet isn't our target," said Rau. "It's the legged ship and its mobile suits."

"_Don't worry, we won't forget that,_" said Diana. "_Though, to be honest, I'm not sure which would be the higher priority, if we can't take all of them out._"

"We'll get them all," growled Zane. "Just leave the Raven to me."

"_Foolish boy,_" spat Diana. "_You're a skilled pilot, but you have no restraint or common sense. If we get a chance to take out the Raven, we're not going to miss it simply because of your obsession with it._"

"You're one to talk! I know all about your obsession with the Hawk of Endymion!" said Zane, but Rau glared at the boy.

"Enough of your foolishness, Kessel is right," growled Rau. "The Hawk of Endymion is only a single mobile armor pilot. But those mobile suits are an entirely different story—there's no justification for sparing them simply to give another a chance at destroying them."

"_Thank you, Commander Le Creuset,_" said Diana, polite, but still frosty. "_Now then, I believe our current forces consist of the Speartip Team, ten GINNs from our team, the six GINNs from the _Ziegler_, the two GINNs from your ship, the Aegis, and two CGUE's, while the _Gamow_ can sortie the Buster, the Blitz, the Surge, and the Resolute, correct?_"

Rau nodded. "That's correct," he said. "More than enough to break through the 8th Fleet and reach our target."

* * *

The _Archangel_

The next day

"Discharge papers?" said Sai.

"Yes. In order to avoid any legal complications, you've all been declared as soldiers of the Earth Alliance," explained Captain Hoffman. "Signing these papers will allow you to leave the _Archangel_ with the civilians."

"I don't need this. I'm staying," said Flay, handing her papers back, to the shock of everyone present.

Hoffman nodded. "Very well then."

"Flay?" said a surprised Sai.

"You realize what you're saying?" asked Natarle.

"Look. I'm not saying this for the fun of it. I've been thinking about since my father was killed," said Flay. "After that happened, all I could think about was how I couldn't bear it. And I realized that this has been happening since the war started."

A fresh set of tears rolled down her cheeks at the memory of her father. "If I join the fight, that means that I can at least try to help bring an end to this war. Even if my abilities are of little use to the military, I'll still do whatever I can to bring an end to this war."

"Very well then," said Natarle. "Come with me."

The two left. Sai looked at the paper in his hands. He tore it in two. "What Flay expressed was my sentiments as well. Besides, what kind of person would I be if I left her here by herself?"

"They said the _Archangel_ was short-staffed. I'd feel bad if it got shot down somewhere down the road," said Tolle, tearing his own papers.

Miriallia then tore her own papers in two.

"Mir?"

"If you're staying, than so am I," she replied.

* * *

_Archangel_ Captain's Office

"Ah, there you are," said Halberton, smiling as Makoto entered the room. "Please, have a seat." Following Halberton's request, the teen slid into the seat opposite the admiral.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" she asked uncertainly. Halberton nodded.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I did," he said. "I recognized your name amongst the volunteers. I must say, you put quite the show in Orb four years ago."

Makoto blushed and looked away in embarrassment.

"I… I didn't think you'd been there, sir," she said quietly. Halberton chuckled.

"Yes, well, as it so happens, I'm somewhat distant friends with a few prominent figures in Orb," said Halberton. "Given that, I was able to find a fair bit of information about you. And that brings me to why I called you here. I'm told you wish to enlist as a mobile suit pilot?"

Makoto nodded. "That's correct, sir," she said.

"I also hear you had a disagreement with Ensign Badgiruel regarding the use of Miss Clyne as a hostage," said Halberton sternly. The last vestiges of Makoto's embarrassment vanished as a vicious and determined glare settled on her features.

"That's correct, sir," she said. "It was cowardice at its finest. Using an innocent civilian as a hostage, a bargaining chip… it disgusts me. If she'd wanted to use Lacus to get the enemy off of us, she could've simply offered to return her in exchange for a withdrawal, the way the rest of us chose to do it."

Halberton was quiet before a warm smile wormed its way onto his features.

"Very good," he said. "You're quite right. You might be interested to know that Ensign Badgiruel was quite eager to ensure the cooperation of yourself and your friends, even by the use of hostages. Quite unsightly behavior, for a human being, I must say. In any event, the crewmen of this ship are receiving promotions, effective upon landing on Earth. And frankly, I don't want anymore trouble for you from Lieutenant Junior Grade-to-be Badgiruel."

"Sir?" questioned Makoto. Halberton smiled, eyes dancing with mirth. He reached down and pulled out a white Atlantic Federation uniform, the same sort worn by Lieutenants La Flaga and Ramius.

"Congratulations, _Lieutenant_ Arata," said Halberton. "Pink isn't suited to you anyways. As of now, you are the wing commander for the _Archangel_'s mobile suits, your authority in that regard surpassing even the ship captain's, as well as being the third highest ranked officer of the ship."

"But sir, I don't think…" started Makoto, but Halberton quickly cut her off.

"Unlike the rest of your volunteering friends, you have some formal military training," said Halberton. "If it weren't for Badgiruel, I'd likely only give you the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade, rather than senior grade. Regardless, I think you're suited to the position of team leader. You recognize the difference in your skill and that of your comrades and enemies. You are also calm, calculating, collected, and unlike Badgiruel, you are flexible. You recognize the difference between necessary acts and inhumane acts—something few military officers are truly capable of, regardless of their level of training. Not only that, but since Kira Yamato is leaving the ship, you are the best mobile suit pilot the _Archangel_ has. Just don't try to take too much of the leadership burden yourself—share it with Lieutenant La Flaga and Lieutenant Ramius. They can both help you."

"Sir, I still don't think I'm really qualified for this," said Makoto. "I mean, sure, I've done what I can to advise the others and helped train Liz, but…"

"Trust me, Makoto," said Halberton, smiling. "Just trust me… besides, this is more for my benefit than yours. Be certain to take a picture of Ensign Badgiruel's face once you tell her that you're her superior officer. I want to see that."

Makoto sighed. "There's no point in arguing, is there?"

"One thing I had thought you would learn: never argue with a superior officer trying to give you a promotion. They're generally too stubborn to give up, and the pay raise is always gratifying."

* * *

Elsewhere

"Well, Kira. I guess this where we part ways," said Chris as they approached the line up for the shuttle. Makoto hadn't been seen for sometime. "Take care of yourself."

"Yeah," said Kira. "You take care too."

Suddenly, a little girl floated up to the two boys, and reached into her bag.

"Thank you for protecting us," said the little girl, handing them four little paper flowers. "And please give these to the those nice girls."

"Thanks," said Chris, taking three of the flowers and patting the girl on the head.

"Hey Kira!" shouted Tolle as he, Sai, Miriallia, and Liz approached the pair.

"Hey. I've been looking all over for you guys. Why—"

"Here," said Tolle, handing him a piece of paper. "You can't leave without your discharge papers."

"You're going alone. We've all decided to stay," said Sai.

Chris sighed. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Well, Flay said a few things," said Mir. "She was the first of us to decide to stay, actually."

"What? That's a surprise," said Chris. "I figured that she would have left we everyone else."

"_All hands. Report to level one battlestations. I repeat…_"

"They're playing my song again. Well, good luck Kira," said Chris before leaving.

"Yeah. Good luck Kira," said Tolle, patting Kira's back. "You better not do something stupid without us there to watch your back."

"Goodbye Kira," said Mir.

"Bye Kira. Don't worry. I'll make sure my brother doesn't do anything stupid," said Liz.

"Goodbye Kira," said Sai. "Take care of yourself."

"Well, we better get to our battlestations," said Tolle. "And you have a shuttle to catch."

Kira watched his friends leave the hanger. He stared at his discharge papers. Then he turned to the paper flower. Torn between what he should do. Images of his past battles filled his mind. The destruction of Heliopolis. His battles against the stolen Gundams, alongside Chris, Liz, Makoto, and Lieutenant La Flaga. His failure to protect the _Montgomery _and Flay's father. Finally, the little girl that had given him the paper flower.

"Are you coming kid?"

"Please. Go on without me," said Kira, tossing the discharge papers as he left the hanger.

* * *

The stolen Gundams, a crimson CGUE and the mobile suits of the Alaric Team launched, heading for the Earth Forces 8th Fleet. "Hey Yzak, are you sure that you're able to pilot the Duel in your condition?" asked Saul.

"_Just shut up and stay out of my way!_" shouted Yzak from the Duel, now equipped with an assault shroud similar to the one on Zane's CGUE. "_I'm gonna take down the Strike once and for all!_"

Mobile armors flew out from the warships of the 8th Fleet to meet the oncoming ZAFT forces, but they were effortlessly and relentlessly shot down, one after the other, by the superior mobile suits of ZAFT. But while the pilots of the Alaric Team were better, it quickly became apparent that the true edge for the ZAFT forces lay in their captured mobile suits.

The Aegis fired the Scylla, the one blast piercing three mobile armors, then transformed to mobile suit form, and shot down three more with its beam rifle in only a second. Transforming back into a mobile armor, it gripped the vulcan gun of an escort ship in its claws and launched mortars, crippling the vessel.

The Blitz destroyed a pair of mobile armors and vanished, only to reappear moments later before the bridge of a _Nelson_ and fire its Gleipnir into the bridge, taking the vessel out of the battle.

The Buster combined its rifle and gun-launcher to form the sniper rifle, and fired a single, deadly shot, gutting a _Drake_ from stem to stern, annihilating the vessel entirely.

The Duel evaded fire from a _Nelson_ and took aim, opening fire with the assault shroud missile pod, Shiva railgun, and the beam rifle, explosions blossoming from the ship as it was consumed in fire.

The Surge blazed at speeds once thought to be impossible, and stabbed the Hakenfurst into the side of an escort ship, gouging a trio of slashes into the armor. As it sped away, it spun around, and fired a half-dozen shots from its rifle into the gashes, destroying the ship from the inside out.

And the Resolute put its enormous firepower to its intended purpose, shredding one escort ship with its beam gatlings while firing on another with its chest gatlings, and sending homing and micro missiles flying for every weak point of a battleship that the pilot could find. All three ships exploded in massive fireballs as the Resolute began cutting apart mobile armors with its beam saber, before showering a squadron of armors with beam bullets.

Diana shook her head in disbelief.

"This is ridiculous," she said as the stolen mobile suits massacred warships and mobile armors in all directions, as fast as the entire Alaric Team combined. "If six of those machines can do this, what could all ten of them together do?"

Elsewhere, Zane flitted through the battlefield cutting apart and gunning down mobile armors, but holding back on using his thermal cannon to conserve power. "Where is it?!" said Zane in frustration as he fired at a mobile armor, destroying it. "Where is that damned Raven?!"

* * *

_Archangel_ Pilot's Locker Room

Chris and Liz had just finished zipping up their flight suits when Kira entered the room.

"Kira? What are you doing here?" asked Chris in surprise.

"I've decided to stay," said Kira simply, reaching to grab his own flight suit.

"Happy to hear that. I was little worried that I was gonna have to pilot the Strike." said Chris. "It's a good machine, but it's not my machine."

Kira quickly put on his flight suit and the three took off for the hanger. When they reached the hanger, they found Mu arguing with the Captain over a comm. line. "But Captain, their target is this ship. If the kids and I deploy, we'll be able to draw some of the enemy mobile suits from the Fleet."

"_Our ship wasn't been signaled to join the battle. Please remain on standby,_" said Murrue.

"But that's crazy!" objected Makoto from where she was standing next to Mu in her black and silver flight suit. "If we don't sortie soon, the 8th Fleet will be crushed, and the _Archangel_ will be vulnerable! It would all be meaningless at that point! If it were ordinary ZAFT forces, sure, I wouldn't worry, but we're talking about the best ZAFT has to offer!"

"_I said to remain on standby,_" said Murrue sternly before cutting the comm.

Mu swore and punched the wall. "Why isn't the Captain letting us launch? We're under attack, aren't we?"

"She's probably worried about getting a sudden order from Admiral Halberton while we're too far to lend a hand," said Kira, causing Makoto and Mu to both turn around in surprise.

"Hey. What are you doing here kid?" asked Mu.

"I've decided to stay," replied Kira.

"Alright. Well that's good to hear," said Mu. "Well, you heard the Captain. Let's get to our machines."

While the others headed directly for their machines, Makoto hesitated, looking uncertain, chewing her lip nervously.

_We can launch…_ she thought. _We _should _launch. The 8__th__ Fleet needs all the help it can get at the moment…_ Unfortunately, Makoto was reluctant to exercise her newfound authority as wing commander for the _Archangel_. If she wanted to, it was well within her rights to override all of Murrue's orders not to launch, and send them out anyway.

But was she really right?

* * *

The 8th Fleet was putting up a valiant fight. But their pilots were just too green and their mobile armors too outclassed to stand a chance against ZAFT's elite Alaric and Le Creuset Teams. A trio of black and purple GINNs raced through the Earth Forces ships, explosions followed them. Basque Gideon fired on a pair of _Drake_-class battleships with his shin-mounted missiles and Barrus cannon. Missiles and beams struck the warships, destroying the first and heavily damaging the second. A trio of Moebius mobile armors fired on the Tyr from behind.

"I don't think so, pals!" said Ajay, ambushing the trio.

He gunned down the first two and slicing the third in two with one of his combat knives.

Lucius turned to Ajay, aimed and fired. Two mobile armors exploded behind Ajay's GINN.

"Even without the dreaded Black Hawk flying with them, the Alaric Team is still devastating," said Halberton as more casualties were reported in.

"Sir, incoming communiqué from the _Archangel_."

"Hmm? Well, put them through," he said. The bridge of the _Archangel_ appeared on the _Menelaos_ display screen seconds later.

"_Admiral, I would like permission to begin the _Archangel_'s descent to Earth,_" said Murrue. "_The _Archangel _is their target. If we withdraw, we might be able to save the Fleet._"

Halberton was silent a moment, considering the request. However, he was quick to reach a decision. "Go. You have permission. We'll cover you for as long as we can," he said before cutting the line.

"Fleetwide transmission now," said Halberton. The operator was quick to carry out the order. "_Menelaos_ addressing all ships controllers. This is Halberton here. From here on, the focus of our energies will be to protect the _Archangel_, until it reaches the atmosphere's entry interface. We expect this to be a harsh battle, but if we are to win the conflicts that lie ahead, we cannot afford to lose this ship. Reassemble the formation. With the will and determination of the 8th Fleet, we'll make certain that not one single enemy gets through. We'll show them what the Earth Forces are made of!"

* * *

The _Archangel_ started its descent into the atmosphere. But they weren't alone. The Duel, the Buster, the Resolute, the Surge, and the red CGUE broke past the _Menelaos_ and the other nearby Earth Forces warships, determined to bring down the ship and its mobile suits no matter the cost—or rather, that was how four of them felt, and Saul was tagging along with the Surge's speed to make sure his idiot teammates didn't get themselves killed.

"Captain, please let us launch. We can fight till the last second before returning," said Mu from the cockpit of his Moebius Zero.

"According to the specs, the Strike, Ravne, Guardian, and Dauntless can enter the atmosphere on their own," added Kira.

"Besides, if we launch now, we may be able to draw some of the fire from the 8th Fleet," said Chris.

"_No! It's suicide to launch at a time like this!_" said Murrue.

"And its suicide to sit in here," said Makoto, coming to a decision now that the words of her fellow pilots had bolstered her confidence in what she wanted to do. "I can't speak for Lieutenant La Flaga and the Zero, but… under my authority as the wing commander of the _Archangel_'s mobile suits, I'm ordering the launch!"

"_What?_" exclaimed Murrue. They heard a sigh. "_Fine. The Zero will launch as well then. But get back before we hit reach phase three of atmospheric interface. And for god's sake, be careful out there._"

"Will do captain," said Mu before sighing in annoyance as the Strike and Guardian were loaded onto the catapult first.

The Guardian launched, and the Raven was moved to the catapult. By the time the midnight blue mobile suit was loaded onto the catapult, the Gunbarrel Striker had been attached, and Kira shot out of the catapult.

"_Hey guys, be careful, Earth's gravity will be pulling us down,_" said Liz, transforming the Guardian to mobile armor mode to increase her thrust and push her towards the battle.

"_Man, this is definitely stupid,_" said Chris as he launched and fought against the Earth's gravity with the Zero seconds behind him.

"_You won't get any arguments from me,_" said Mu as the two pushed their thrusters to the max in pursuit of their allies. "_This is the first time I've ever done this._"

"Somehow, I get the feeling I'm the only one who's been through reentry before," said Makoto as the Dauntless launched and followed the other four. "Of course, this is my first time doing something this stupid—under fire in something we aren't even sure will make it through the interface."

"At last! The Strike!" said Yzak with a smirk, taking aim with his rifle and Shiva railgun. "Time for some payback."

The Duel and Buster fired on the Strike and Zero, but Kira and Mu evaded the shots, and both returned fire as they each deployed a pair of gunbarrels and began to attack their enemies from three directions.

"_This time there's no pink haired brat to save you,_" said Zane as he fired at the Raven with his thermal cannon.

"How did you become like this Zane?" asked Chris, dodging the blast. "You never had an ounce of hatred in your body before."

"_As I told you. That was then, this is now,_" said Zane, firing again and again. "_But the time for talk is over._"

Chris continued to dodge. He couldn't bring himself to fire on his friend. Even when he was in this state.

"Oh lovely," muttered Saul, dodging shots from the Guardian. His thrusters were consuming even more power than normal under the influence of Earth's gravity. In contrast, the Guardian's mobile armor form seemed to have little difficulty dealing with that extra factor. Saul returned fire, then shot the Hakenfurst, wondering if the Guardian would transform back into a mobile suit and mimic the Raven's maneuver from the last battle.

As it happened, the Guardian did change back—but rather than dodging and grabbing the Hakenfurst, the pilot simply shot a pair of grenades, utterly annihilating the triple claw, and the mobile suit short forward, beam saber drawn.

"Damn it!" said Saul, switching his rifle to the left hand and drawing his long anti-armor sword.

Elsewhere, Makoto was quick to recognize a critical advantage over the Resolute pilot. He'd already used up a great deal of power and ammunition just getting where he was—the battle was hers. His gatlings and missiles were empty, and her studies had shown her an excellent target.

Locking the Exia into its right wing storage rack—she'd stopped counting how many places the weapon could be stored at four, deciding it was simply enough—Makoto deflected beam bullets with her shield, and sprung an Armor Schneider from the Dauntless's right hip armor. With that area hidden by her shield, Makoto reached down and grabbed the assault knife… then spun slightly, moving the shield aside, and sending the blade flying through space, past the beams, and straight into the underbelly of the Resolute's shield.

Erik swore as he realized what his opponent had done, and pressed the button to launch the shield off of the Resolute's arm. And not a moment to soon, as the shield exploded barely twenty meters away. While the explosion was small, it would've taken a fair chunk of his remaining power. Grinning almost insanely—he could never seem to beat her, and while frustrating, it was also quite exciting for him—and dull eyes dancing with life, Erik pulled out his left beam saber and flew at the Dauntless, firing his machine cannons the whole way.

* * *

The _Gamow_ pulled ahead of the _Vesalius_, heading for the _Archangel_.

"They're making a suicide attack!" exclaimed Captain Hoffman in shock.

"Focus all fire on the _Laurasia_-class. And deploy the civilian shuttle," ordered Halberton. "We've come too far to allow that ship to be destroyed."

The _Menelaos_ moved itself directly into the path of the _Gamow_, twin beam cannons blazing as the two ships steadily descended towards Earth.

Dearka successfully evaded fire from the four gunbarrels, but unfortunately, that was exactly what Mu wanted—a single blast from the Zero's linear gun hit the Buster, sending the machine tumbling towards Earth, and removing it from combat.

With phase three nearly upon them, Mu turned and rocketed the Zero towards the _Archangel_, and when he was close enough, launched a rocket anchor to pull himself in. Within moments, the mobile armor had returned to the ship.

"Hey, where are the kids?" asked Mu as he hopped out of the Zero. Johanna looked at Mu, her unnaturally ashen.

"It's too late," she said. "We just hit stage three."

Mu froze, eyes widening.

The Surge and Guardian broke away from one another, the two of them sweating from the fight, the growing struggle to control their machines under the increasing gravity, and the increasing heat from the atmospheric friction.

"Looks like we're done for today," said Saul, turning the Surge and punching its thrusters to maximum. The Surge shot swiftly away from Earth, but as it escaped from the threat of falling to the planet, the last of the power was drained by the thrusters. Nicol grabbed hold of the Surge with the Blitz, pulling it away from the battlefield. Meanwhile, Liz converted the Guardian to mobile armor mode and began independent entry, following the same course as the _Archangel_, Liz doing everything she could to reduce the atmospheric friction.

The _Menelaos_ and _Gamow_ rained fire on one another, but the _Gamow_ had taken too much damage getting where it was to begin with, and was the first to collapse under structural damage and atmospheric friction. Unfortunately, the _Menelaos_ had fallen too deep into the atmosphere for there to be any hope of escape, and the ship exploded under the combination of atmospheric friction and hull damage.

On the bridge of the _Archangel_, Murrue and Natarle stood and saluted the heroic sacrifice of the _Menelaos_ crew.

In the Aegis, Athrun's grip on the controls tightened. The _Gamow_ and the Earth Forces carrier… all those people dead… and for what? What did it accomplish?!

"_Athrun,_" came Rau's voice suddenly. "_I need you to do something for me._"

The Resolute had been completely disarmed, and the mobile suit was now in free fall. The Dauntless had destroyed its double gatling shield and beam sabers, and all of its other weapons had been used up. Panting as she fell into the atmosphere, Makoto aimed the Exia at the vulnerable artillery mobile suit. She began to squeeze the trigger.

And then she released it, shaking her head.

"No," she said softly. "Not like this." With that in mind, she turned the Dauntless and flew towards the _Archangel_, Makoto managing to bring the suit down atop the ship's hull. With that done, she shunted all power to the cooling systems—it would be enough to keep her alive. Unfortunately, she wouldn't be able to do anything to help her friends.

Elsewhere, the duel between Chris and Zane intensified. Neither could gain the upper hand, as Zane dodged Chris's repeated attempts to disable his CGUE, and Chris evaded the erratic fire of Zane's thermal cannon. Suddenly, the _Menelaos_ shuttle flew past them.

"_What? Cowards fleeing the battlefield? Well then, DIE!_" said Zane, taking aim at the shuttle.

"NO! Don't! That's a civilian shuttle!" shouted Chris. "There are only innocent civilians on board!"

"_Innocent?! There is no such thing as innocence amongst the human race!_" Zane shouted back. "_It's time you learned that!_"

However, before Zane could fire, his CGUE suddenly shook violently, and he found himself being pulled away from the shuttle and Raven. Screaming in frustration as he realized his machine was gripped tightly in the claws of the Aegis, Zane could do nothing as Athrun followed Rau's orders and pulled Zane safely away from the atmosphere, consuming virtually all of the Aegis's remaining power.

Kira's eyes narrowed as he and the Duel pilot struggled for dominance with their sabers. The pilot had obviously believed that Kira wouldn't be able to fight with his gunbarrels at this range.

Unfortunately for him, that wasn't true.

Deploying and bringing two gunbarrels to bear, Kira fired their beam guns, tearing apart the Duel's railgun, missile pod, and leg. Kira pushed away, and kicked the Duel in the head, sending the machine tumbling away. Then, he brought all four gunbarrels to bear and fired their missiles, tearing into the Duel, blasting apart its outer layer of non-Phase Shift armor, and sending it flying down towards the Earth. The Duel pilot managed to get enough control and bring his beam rifle to bear, and he started firing wildly. None of the shots came close to the Strike, but Kira's eyes widened as he saw the civilian shuttle come perilously close to the beams. He flew to intercept with his shield… but he was too late, as a beam pierced the shuttle just before the Strike reached it. Caught in the explosion, the Strike was sent tumbling away.

"No!" cried Chris. However, he could do little more than that, as the g-forces and heat from reentry were growing too great for him. Chris quickly extended the Raven's wings, slowing down his descent. But it wasn't enough and he passed out.

The Strike and Raven tumbled aimlessly towards the Earth, Makoto, Liz, and the _Archangel_ crew watching in horror as Miriallia and Flay repeatedly cried over the radio for their friends in the two machines. Suddenly, to everyone's surprise, the Strike shifted, and activating its thrusters, those of the Striker pack, and those of the gunbarrels, shot out and grabbed hold of the Raven. Kira then began guided the two machines towards the _Archangel_… but it soon proved too much, and had to shut down his thrusters and bring his shield up to act as an extra barrier to reduce friction on the Strike and Raven.

"Liz, can you get them?" cried Mir.

"_No,_" choked Liz. "_The Guardian's thrusters aren't powerful enough for it._"

"Then bring the _Archangel_ under them," said Murrue, fist clenched in determination. "We can't afford to lose them."

"But we'll miss our descent point as well!" objected Neumann.

"We're not leaving them to die!" said Murrue. "Making it to Alaska will be pointless if those two fall into ZAFT hands!" Of course, ZAFT didn't really factor into Murrue's decision at all—it was merely a rationale for what she was ordering. Neumann made no more objections as he activated the _Archangel_'s thrusters and moved the ship under the Strike and Raven.

In the Strike, Kira saw the _Archangel_'s movements as the Guardian began to pull up alongside the Strike and Raven. Pushing his thrusters, he brought himself and Chris down onto the _Archangel_'s hull next to the Dauntless before passing out from the heat inside the Strike's cockpit.

* * *

**Author's Note: Like I said, that last bit didn't turn out as well as I had hoped. Still, I think the overall chapter worked out pretty well, and I hope everyone enjoyed the battle scenes. Even though Makoto is given a high rank and impressive authority, she's hesitant to use it, uncertain of herself in the role of "leader", despite her determination to fulfill that role and take as much of the burden of responsibility as she can onto her own shoulders. By the time she really does make a decision, it ultimately proves largely fruitless, as it's too late to save the fleet, and their presence likely did nothing to actually save the _Archangel_, while also leading to the inadverdent destruction of the shuttle. Makoto's gonna be as torn up inside as Kira on that issue.**

**To the anonymous reviewer G. Wagers: as it happens, I'd already come to the decision that Zane would not shoot down the shuttle before you even posted your review.**

**Okay, not it's time to focus on getting the next two chapters of _The White Queen_ finished and posted.**

**Please leave a review! Ja ne!  
**


	11. Phase 10: Burning Clouds of Sand

**This could very well be my favorite chapter so far. I especially enjoyed the early scenes with Makoto in them. I also think it will help further emphasize that she's not perfect. And while a few of the early scenes, and some of the later scenes, only have slight modifications to them from Akatsuki Leader13's fic, quite a bit of this chapter was rewritten, particularly the battle.**

**Chris isn't too prominent in this chapter... I apologize to Akatsuki Leader13 for that. He'll be more prominent in future chapters, I swear! Though, I suppose it isn't that surprising... this chapter essentially consisted of two short episodes and a battle in between, and he was sick for part one, held back in part two, and part three was cut down to the bare minimum...  
**

**I apologize if people think I'm overemphasizing Makoto in this chapter, or if they think Makoto seems to recover too quickly. I will first assure you that she has not recovered by the end of the chapter, but she is controlling it while she looks for an effective outlet. This accounts for some of her mistakes during the battle.**

**And, I also introduce a new twist here that I'm sure is going to have a great many people scratching their heads and screwing up their faces in confusion. Really though, the answer is quite obvious...**

**Disclaimer: I do now own Gundam SEED or any of the associated characters or mecha, which are the property of Sunrise Inc. I do not own Chris, Liz, or Johanna Dante, Saul Kessel, Zane Scirocco, any member of the Alaric Team, or Victor Cain, nor do I own the Raven or Surge Gundams, all of which are the property of Akatsuki Leader13. I do, however, own Makoto Arata, Erik Saharin, and the Dauntless, Resolute, and Guardian Gundams.  
**

* * *

Phase Ten: Burning Clouds of Sand

February 14th, C.E. 71

* * *

_Archangel_ Infirmary

Chris groaned and shifted slightly on the bed. He was lying unconscious on a bed in the Medical Bay, an IV in his arm and sweat soaking his body. Flay pressed a wet cloth against his forehead, trying to bring down his fever. Lying across from him was Kira, who was in a far better state, being attended to by Mir.

"How are they, doc?" asked Liz, eying her brother in concern.

"Despite the fever, neither has any signs of infection or internal injuries. Right now, all we can do is give them plenty of fluids and try to lower their body temperature," the doctor replied.

"That's it?" asked Sai.

"Well, this is the first time I've given medical treatment to a Coordinator. And I'm not claiming to be an expert when it comes to diagnosing their symptoms. But I do know that the capabilities of their bodies are far greater than ours. So I wouldn't worry too much about them," said Doctor Hunnicutt.

"But—"

"They may look us, but their internal abilities are completely different from the rest of us. Except for you, of course, Miss Dante," said Hunnicutt. "They have bodies capable of greater strength. And minds capable of acquiring more knowledge. And so forth. No fatal illness will develop with that immune system."

The door opened and Lieutenant La Flaga entered the room. "Hey Doc. What's going on?"

"I was just explaining to them to them that Mr. Yamato and Mr. Dante are going to fine," the doctor replied.

"That's good to hear," said Mu. "Chris took a tremendous pounding out there, and Kira was practically on top of that explosion. What about Makoto?"

"Miss Arata will be fine," said the doctor. "She only had a very mild fever, nothing inhibiting, but I'm having her rest in her room now. And Miss Dante here managed to avoid getting too hot during reentry."

"Only thanks to the Guardian's flight systems," muttered Liz. She and Makoto were lucky that they weren't on beds next to Kira and Chris. Liz frowned slightly as something else occurred to her. Something had been bothering Makoto… actually, it seemed that several things were bothering Makoto, growing more prominent all the time.

"I think I'll go check up on her," said Liz, turning to the door. She paused and looked back. "Hey, Flay, take care of my brother while I'm gone, okay?"

Flay glanced at her with a weary smile. "Sure," she said softly. Liz nodded and walked out of the infirmary.

* * *

Aboard the _Vesalius_

Athrun stood in pilot lounge, staring out at mobile suit hanger. His thoughts were entirely on Kira. He was torn. He and Kira were best friends. But now, by some cruel twist of fate, they were enemies.

"There you are," said Saul as he and Nicol entered the room. "We've been looking all over for you."

Athrun turned to his two teammates.

"Yzak, Dearka and Erik landed safely on Earth," said Nicol.

"They're at the Gibraltar Base," said Saul. "But we don't know when they're supposed to return."

"Is Yzak's wound still bothering him?" asked Athrun.

"I doubt it. A guy as stubborn as Yzak would keep on fighting no matter how bad the wound," said Saul. "Hell, he's probably right now demanding to get resupplied and sent out to hunt down the legged ship."

Athrun chuckled. "Yeah. That sounds like Yzak," he said. "So what's our orders now?"

Saul shrugged. "We're heading back to the PLANTs. Something about some new operation. I really don't know. But I do know that we're gonna some sweet R&R," said Saul with a grin.

"Oh, Athrun?" said Nicol. "Something else. You might want to avoid Scirocco for awhile."

"What's up?" asked Athrun, genuinely confused. The other two sighed.

"Even though it was on the commander's orders, he's pretty angry with you for pulling him out of there," said Nicol.

"That lunatic wanted to stick around and keep fighting the Raven even if it killed him," said Saul. "Given his attitude, a part of me thinks we'd all have been better off with him staying to fight the Raven. We'd be rid of him, and possibly the Raven as well. Just being near that guy makes me sick to my stomach."

* * *

Makoto's Quarters

"Makoto? I'm coming in," came Liz's voice. Makoto shifted and pulled herself into a sitting position as the door opened, her blanket pooling in her lap.

"Liz, what's up?" asked Makoto. Her fever was already almost gone, but she also figured she could use the rest.

"Something's been bothering you, right?" asked Liz, sitting down in the chair next to the desk. Makoto looked away.

Yes, something was bothering her. Actually, many things were bothering her, but she didn't think Liz was the person to talk to about some of them. Of course, the only people she could think of who she _could_ talk to about all of it were on the other side of the planet, by her estimate.

"There's a lot, that bothers me," she said. "I've been going over it all in my head. Over and over and over again. And I keep telling myself that I'm an idiot, while also insisting that I did what seemed to be right at the time."

"Makoto? What are you talking about?" asked Liz. Makoto looked at her friend with pain-filled eyes.

"What would've happened if we hadn't launched?" she asked quietly, voice hollow. "They wouldn't have been able to do anything to the _Archangel_ by that point. We couldn't save the 8th Fleet… and if we hadn't launched… the shuttle wouldn't have gotten shot down."

"That's not true!" said Liz, shooting up. "You say that like it's your fault the shuttle was shot down!"

"Isn't it?" spat Makoto bitterly. "I'm the one who ordered the launch. If we hadn't gone out there, no one would've paid the shuttle a second of their attention. No one would've shot it down, intentionally or otherwise!"

"Stop blaming yourself for it!" said Liz, tears forming in her eyes, though whether they were anger or something else, she didn't know. "Stop trying to take all this responsibility on yourself! You're just one person!"

"One person whose mistake cost dozens of innocents their lives!" retorted Makoto. The redhead soon broke down crying, though. "It's my fault… if I just hadn't hesitated… or if I simply hadn't been given something I'm not ready for, something I don't deserve…"

"Makoto?" questioned Liz, eyes wide. She'd never seen her friend in such a state, and it scared her.

"Why?! Why me?! Why did he want me to do this?!" cried Makoto, ignoring Liz entirely. "I can't do it… I can't…" Makoto trailed off, sobs racking her body.

Now truly terrified for her friend, Liz ran out of the room, and began searching for the only person who, crazy though it might be, she thought could possibly comfort Makoto.

* * *

Infirmary

Two Hours Later

Kira groaned slightly as he opened his eyes.

Hearing the groan, Flay looked over her shoulder, and moved over to Kira's side.

"You're awake," she said softly. "You recovered a lot faster than Chris did. His fever only just broke a little while ago."

"Where am I Flay?" asked Kira somewhat weakly.

"The ship's infirmary," she said. "They said that you were unconscious when you landed on the ship. I guess that explains why you don't remember. Chris will probably be the same."

"So then we must've landed?" asked Kira.

"On Earth," she confirmed. "In a desert. We landed sometime last night." She looked up at the door. "Mir was helping me, but she had to go and get some rest before heading up to the bridge."

"What about Makoto and Liz?"

"Not sure," admitted Flay. "Makoto was in better condition than you two, but she did have a mild fever. Liz was fine. Last I saw her, she was going to check on Makoto."

* * *

Makoto's Quarters

"Lieutenant Arata? I'm coming in," said Natarle as she opened the door.

She'd run into Liz just after waking up, and had been surprised to learn that the young Coordinator had been searching for her for nearly two hours. However, when she saw the state Makoto was in, she understood.

The redhead was leaning against the wall, her hair a mess, clothes askew, eyes harboring a vacant, almost dead look, and tear streaks covered the girl's face, apparent even in the dim light from the hall. Stepping in, Natarle turned on the light to the room—the girl looked even worse when she could see her clearly.

Roused by the light, Makoto look up at Natarle with dead eyes. She'd never cried so much in her life.

In her mind, it didn't matter that the Duel had been the one to shoot down the shuttle. It didn't matter that the CGUE would've done so had the Aegis not grabbed hold of it. It didn't matter that Kira had been the one to put the Duel pilot in the position by which he accidentally destroyed the shuttle, or that Kira had been the one who couldn't reach it.

All that mattered was that it all came back to her. It was her fault. She'd been the one to order the launch to try and save the _Archangel _and the 8th Fleet. And all it had done was throw them desperately off-course, into the middle of ZAFT territory, with a shuttle of civilian refugees dead.

Her fault…

Natarle sighed as she sat down on the bed next to Makoto. What was she doing here? She was a military officer, right to the core, damn it! She came from a long line of military officers. How the hell was she supposed to deal with the emotional mess Makoto had become?

Frowning, Natarle decided that Halberton had made a critical mistake. Yes, Makoto was certainly qualified to lead, but with everything that was going on, the girl had hit her breaking point.

Looking away, Natarle felt guilt well up inside her gut. She'd actually tried to suggest using the family of this girl, Kira, Chris, and Liz as hostages to _force_ them to fight? What had she been thinking?!

They were human too. Natarle had been surrounded by people who held Coordinators in contempt when she was growing up, and it had been even more prevalent at the military academy she had attended. And it had rubbed of on her, somewhat.

This, though, definitely destroyed the last of that. Makoto was in pain, blaming herself for the destruction of the shuttle and the _Archangel_'s present situation, and beneath her military exterior, Natarle's heart went out to the girl.

Finally, taking a deep breath, Natarle started speaking, as one human being to another, rather than as a soldier to another soldier or civilian—something that she admitted was utterly foreign to her.

"It's… it's not your fault, you know," she said softly. Makoto's hollow green eyes found Natarle's own eyes, the movement incredibly sluggish when one considered the lightning fast reflexes and movements Natarle had seen when she piloted the Dauntless.

"How is it not my fault?" asked Makoto hoarsely.

"Everyone makes mistakes," said Natarle, a slight smile creeping up onto her face as she thought of some of her own—mainly in regards to her judgments on these kids. "I've made plenty. So has every other officer in the military. You just have to learn from them. But even if you hadn't launched, the shuttle might not have made it. And besides, I was ready to give my own approval for the others to launch, and I doubt even you could've stopped them. Or would've wanted too. I don't think that's who you are."

"And if I'd ordered the launch sooner?" asked Makoto bitterly. "We might even have been able to save the _Menelaos_…"

"I don't think we could have," said Natarle. "It's true that the four of you are incredible pilots. And Commander La Flaga is hardly a slouch either. But we were just too badly outmatched there. You'd have been facing veteran pilots, plus the other G-weapons. Sure, you might've been able to win if you didn't face power restrictions, but in the end, you'd have lost power, and it's likely that the _Archangel_ would've been the only one with any chance of survival."

"How can you be so certain?" Makoto's voice was still incredibly hoarse. Natarle didn't like it one bit. She'd never seen anyone so vulnerable.

"I can't," admitted Natarle with a sigh. "I can only believe that it's the truth. That's all anyone can do. Now, pull yourself together. This isn't like the Makoto Arata I've come to know."

Makoto gave the smallest of sighs, and began to straighten her clothes out some, pulling her shirt back up so that she wasn't exposing the top of her cleavage anymore.

"Thanks, Lieutenant Badgiruel," she said softly. Natarle smiled slightly.

"It's not a problem, Makoto," she said. The redhead looked at her in surprise. Natarle was a little surprised herself, especially now that the girl was her superior officer. "I need to get to the bridge, though. Don't strain yourself, okay? And don't forget just what it is your fighting for."

As Natarle stepped out of the room, Makoto stood up, and began trying to piece herself back together.

Outside, Natarle found Liz waiting.

"How is she?" asked Liz, the concern in her voice obvious. Natarle gave a slightly weary smile.

"She's in pretty bad shape," she admitted. "But she's strong. She'll pull through, especially with her friends to support her." Liz nodded in thanks and proceeded into the room, while Natarle headed for the bridge.

* * *

Infirmary

Several Hours Later

Chris slowly opened his eyes, his blurred vision slowly coming into focus. There was something on his head…

"Tori."

"GAAAAAH!" screamed Chris, startling Birdie, causing it to fly from his forehead. "KIRA!"

Birdie landed on Kira's shoulder, who was sitting upright on his bed and laughing. "Why does that thing like to sit on my head?!"

"Oh come on, Birdie is just trying to be friendly," said Kira.

"No. It's trying to make a nest on my head."

Kira laughed some more. "It's just a robot. Birdie doesn't even know how to make a nest."

"Well, if I wake up one morning with twigs in my hair, I'm dismantling that thing."

The door opened and Flay entered the room, carrying a food tray and several glasses of water. "Chris! You're awake," she said. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I went through a grinder and then an oven," said Chris. "What happened?"

"What's the last thing you remember?" asked Kira.

"That CGUE being pulled away by the Aegis," said Chris uncertainly. "After that, everything's a blur. I think I vaguely recall some shouting, but that's it."

"You passed out," said Kira. "I tried to pull you back to the _Archangel_ but the Strike's thrusters weren't enough, and neither Makoto or Liz could help us either. Then the _Archangel_ pulled itself under us and I landed us on the ship. Then I passed out as well."

"Well, I owe you one, Kira," said Chris.

"Don't mention it."

"No. I always pay back my debts."

Chris let out a hoarse cough. His throat was bone dry. It felt like he hadn't had a drink in weeks.

"Here. Have some water," said Flay, handing him a glass.

Chris sat up and downed the water in a single gulp. "Thanks."

Flay handed Kira his food tray. "I'll go get you some food and some more water," said Flay, heading for the exit.

Chris looked around. "Come to think of it, where are Makoto and Liz?"

Kira sighed.

"I wondered that myself," he said. "Apparently, Makoto also got a bit of a fever—Liz is the only one who came out relatively unscathed. The last anyone saw her, she was going to check on Makoto."

Chris was quiet for a moment. "How long ago was that?" he finally asked.

"A few hours before I woke up, which was several hours ago," said Kira.

"Hmm… I wonder," muttered Chris before coughing again. _Nah… even if Liz would, you'd have to hold the entire crew at gunpoint and have Makoto on some serious drugs before she'd even _consider_ it… right?_

Soon after, the door of the infirmary opened and Flay stepped in carrying another tray of food, along with more water.

"Thanks," said Chris somewhat weakly as he drank some water. Before he started eating though, he looked at the redhead. "Hey, Flay, do you think you could find Liz and Makoto? There's something I need to talk to them and Kira about."

Flay looked at him in confusion. "No problem," she said uncertainly. "They're in the mess hall right now, actually, though Liz looks like she's been slapped. I'll let them know."

"Thanks Flay," said Chris as she smiled at them and left.

"Something you need to talk about?" questioned Kira.

"Yeah," said Chris. "We'll wait for Liz and Makoto, though. I don't want to have to explain it again."

* * *

A Few Minutes Later

"Okay, there's something you wanted to talk about?" asked Liz. Chris and Kira said nothing, blinking in confusion at the distinct red handprint on Liz's cheek. Brow furrowing, Kira instinctively knew that the handprint itself was several hours old, and internally winced slightly in sympathy.

"What happened to you?" asked Chris. Liz blinked, then blushed brightly. Kira was surprised to see a smaller, less noticeable blush on Makoto's cheeks.

"I, uh… I walked in on Makoto while she was changing," said Liz, turning brighter as she spoke. "And I mean _completely_ changing."

Chris and Kira both blinked, then turned red as well as the full implications of what Liz said registered.

"Perverts, all of you," muttered Makoto darkly. "If I find out either of you has so much as thought anything 'funny', I swear you'll be gender-neutral by the time I'm finished with you."

The two boys gulped, and shook their heads to try and clear their thoughts.

"So, uh, what did you want to talk about Chris?" said Kira quickly, trying to change the subject and avoid perverse thoughts on the part of any of them.

Chris sighed, pulling himself back to the reason they were all here.

"It's about the pilot of that red CGUE," he said. "It's… his name is Zane Scirocco."

Liz gasped while Kira looked confused, and Makoto nodded in understanding, though how she could, Chris didn't know.

"Zane? But that's…" said Liz. Chris nodded.

"I know," he said softly. "Kira, Makoto… Zane was my best friend."

"What?" said Kira.

"A year ago, he was a total pacifist," said Chris, the bitterness in his voice all too evident. "He hated violence in any and every form. He tried to keep me from defending him from bullies even. He didn't even think there was any real difference between Naturals and Coordinators. Now though… he's become a monster. If the Aegis hadn't grabbed him when it did, he'd have shot down that… shuttle…"

Chris trailed off as the last bit of what transpired before he passed out came back to him suddenly. He looked at the others in horror, and saw both Kira and Makoto looking at the ground, while Liz looked away from him as well.

"No…" choked Chris hoarsely. "The shuttle… you mean it…?"

"Yes," said Makoto, voice so soft the others barely heard her. "A stray shot from the Duel hit the shuttle."

Kira looked away, feeling ashamed of his inability to protect the shuttle.

"Damn it," said Chris. "I can't believe it… this whole damn war is messed up. A boy that hated violence becomes a cold-blooded monster. Two pairs of friends end up fighting opposite sides. And for what?! A pointless war that's brought pain and misery to everyone."

Makoto bit off a surprising, bitter laugh.

"Pain and misery to everyone? We only _wish_ that were the case," she said bitterly. "We can't forget about those other monsters, the hateful, bigoted bastards who started this whole war. I'll bet they're sitting back in their comfy chairs, feeling all high and mighty about the whole damn thing!"

"Heh, guess you got a point there," said Chris. "I tell you, those are people you couldn't pay me to regret killing."

"What are you going to do?" asked Kira, deciding to steer the conversation away from Blue Cosmos—a bitter subject for all of them.

"I'm going to stop him… one way or another," said Chris. "All I ask is that you three avoid fighting that red CGUE if we ever encounter them again, unless you have no other choice. I'll do the same with the Aegis for you Kira."

"Right, I think we can handle that," said Kira, sighing as his thought strayed to Athrun.

Chris chuckled bitterly. "And you, Makoto? You seem to have a serious problem with the Resolute."

Makoto sighed.

"Well, so long as we're all being honest," she said softly. "You're not entirely wrong. The pilot's name is Erik. Unlike you two, I don't actually know him personally. What I haven't told anyone is that he gunned down my parents right in front of me."

"What?!" cried Liz as Kira and Chris stared in shock. "That's horrible!"

Makoto looked away, tears evident in her eyes.

"The last thing my mother said to me," she said quietly as her tears fell to the floor. "Was that they'd made the Dauntless for me. She said she was proud to have been my mother… and that she loved me. That's why I can't let the Dauntless go. Building it was the last thing my parents ever gave to me… I won't let anyone else touch it."

* * *

Later That Night

"So this is the new warship of the Earth Alliance?" a black haired man said, looking through binoculars with a mug of coffee in his hand. "What do they call it again?"

"The _Archangel_," replied a blond haired girl.

The man chuckled. "That's funny considering the ship has been more like an Angel of Doom for the Earth Forces. Heliopolis. Artemis Base. Admiral Halberton and the 8th Fleet. All lost after coming into contact with that ship, while the ship itself escapes," he said. "Of course, the fact that it has survived all those encounters is testament to its crew, its mobile suits and the very ship itself. They're just what we need to push Waltfeld out of the area."

Sahib Ashman, the leader of the rebels, nodded. "How do you know they'll be willing to aid us, Victor?"

Victor took a sip of his coffee. "Mmm… Delicious. A perfect blend of French Roast with a dash of cinnamon, powdered chocolate and nutmeg," said Victor, savoring the flavor of his coffee.

"Victor!" said Sahib in annoyance, knocking the man out of his coffee trance.

"Hmm… Oh right," said Victor, clearing his throat. "Because they're just as desperate as us. They're in the middle of enemy territory. They have no clue as to the recent events here on Earth. And they're in the Tiger's backyard. They have no choice but to seek our aid."

"Chief!" shouted a rebel. "We just received word. The Tiger's left the _Lesseps_ with five BuCUEs. He's heading for that ship."

"Should we help them out?" asked another rebel.

"No. Not quite yet," answered Victor. "We need to see their strength with our own eyes first. And if they fall here, then they weren't strong enough to help us defeat the Tiger anyway."

* * *

"Ma'am! I'm detecting laser designators! We're being targeted!"

"What?!" said Badgiruel. "Take us to level one battlestations!"

* * *

Kira, Chris, Liz, and Makoto quickly climbed into their mobile suits, while Mu waited impatiently for Murdoch, Johanna and the hanger crews to get one of the Sky Graspers the 8th Fleet had given them up and running.

"Come on. Why haven't we been given the order to launch?!" asked Kira.

"_We don't yet know the full strength of the enemy. Nor are the mobile suits designed for this type of terrain,_" said Natarle.

"Damn it, I wish you weren't right," said Makoto. "Um, let's see… I really need to get a full on skill assessment done before we have to go out again. The Dauntless will launch then. As long as all the systems function properly, the desert terrain shouldn't be a factor. Failing that…" Makoto chewed her lip somewhat uncertainly. "Send Kira and Liz out for backup."

"Hey, what about me?" asked Chris.

"The Guardian and Strike are a lot stronger than the Raven," said Makoto. "You're still recovering, and Kira's easily the best among us. You'll launch if we find ourselves in need of more help."

"_You heard her,_" said Murrue. "_Load the Dauntless onto the catapult._"

"One more thing," said Makoto as the Dauntless was moved. "Have the Strike loaded onto the other catapult. Kira, pick whichever Striker pack you think will work best. We don't want to have to take the time to attach it if I need help out there."

"Roger that," said Kira.

"_I recommend the Aile Striker,_" said Natarle as the Strike was likewise moved to the catapult. "_The mobility and limited flight capabilities should be immensely helpful._"

Kira shook his head. "No," he said. "Not yet. Not until I get Makoto's assessment on our situation."

"Sounds good," said Makoto. "I'm taking off!" The catapult then activated, sending the Dauntless soaring into the air.

Outside, she found a trio of attack helicopters waiting for her.

"Is this it?" she muttered softly. "No, couldn't be…"

The Dauntless's machine cannons unfolded from the shoulders and let loose, the hail of four inch bullets quickly tearing apart all three choppers as they desperately tried to retreat.

* * *

Elsewhere

"They've deployed the Dauntless," said DaCosta.

"That's a bit of a surprise," said Waltfeld. "I was expecting one of those other two… the Raven or the, hmm, Guardian, was it? But if this thing can fly just like our DINNs… alright, time to see what it can do. Send in the BuCUEs."

* * *

Makoto kept the Dauntless in the air, searching the area for more enemies. Surely, the attack force couldn't have been that small…

Suddenly, from behind a sand dune, a pair of BuCUEs equipped with missile launchers fired a barrage at the Dauntless.

"Damn it, I knew it couldn't be that easy," said Makoto, dodging most of the missiles and gunning down the rest with her Igelstellungs.

From behind, however, a pair of high-velocity slugs flew through the air and hit her machine in the back, sending the Dauntless crashing to the ground.

"Ugh," groaned Makoto, trying to pull the Dauntless to its feet, only to have the machine start sinking into the ground. "Oh great. Kira, I advise you come out with the Aile. The machines are too heavy for the sand."

With that, she activated the Dauntless's thrusters, flying back into the air, but a missile barrage struck her machine this time, sending her back to the ground. One of the BuCUEs firing missiles and the one that had blasted its railgun emerged from their hiding places and began circling the silver mobile suit. One lunged at her, but she evaded, only to have the other slam her from behind.

* * *

"She's getting pounded out there," said Kira, watching on the monitor as his chosen Striker pack was mounted.

"_Captain, please let us launch!_" said Liz.

"_It'll be pointless as things are now though,_" objected Natarle. "_If you can't keep in the air, the ability will be pointless!_"

"Then please let me launch," said Kira. "I chose this Striker pack for a reason. I think I have an idea for how we can even the odds. At the same time, I can provide Makoto with cover to get back in the air."

"_Alright Kira, you've got approval for launch,_" said Murrue.

"Right," said Kira. "Kira Yamato, Strike, let's do it!"

The catapult activated, and the Strike launched. But to all those watching, nothing emerged.

* * *

"What the… why did Kira's catapult open?" asked Makoto as she warded the BuCUEs away from close combat with the Exia. Unfortunately, they wouldn't let her get into the air either, and on the ground, they were simply too fast, and the Dauntless too clumsy on the sand for her to fight back at a range or get close enough to attack with the Exia or her other weapons.

"_I see what you mean about the sand,_" came Kira's voice suddenly. "_I can't maintain my footing._"

Confused, Makoto glanced around briefly as she shot down missiles in a clumsy fashion due to the Dauntless's erratic motions. Unfortunately, she'd soon be out of ammunition as well.

That brief glance, though, had shown her a mild discrepancy, which would most likely go unnoticed by others: sand, shifting erratically, as though a mobile suit were struggling on its surface. Then, the sand stopped moving.

From that location, a single green dart of energy exploded, piercing straight through the railgun-equipped BuCUE that had been harassing Makoto.

"_Get into the air, now!_" said Kira. Makoto nodded, and did as told.

* * *

"Commander, what's going on?" asked DaCosta.

"Another mobile suit with Mirage Colloid," said Waltfeld, recalling the information he'd been given. "Order the BuCUEs to fire missiles on that spot!"

* * *

As Kira's missile alarm went off, he leapt into the air, avoiding the initial barrage, but more railgun shots and missiles came soaring towards his area and at the Dauntless, and Kira was forced to deactivate the Stealth Striker's Mirage Colloid in order to power his machine's Phase Shift Armor.

"_Kira, please tell me you had some kind of a strategy to save our asses when you picked the Stealth Striker?_" asked Makoto as she deflected missiles with her shield and sword.

"Time," said Kira. "I'm almost there… just some modifications to the OS, and I can get us back the advantage."

"_Time, huh?_" said Makoto. "_Chris, Liz, willing to help me play decoy?_"

"_You can have me play their damn punching bag, just get me out there in a helpful capacity!_" said Chris.

"_I'm a bit less enthusiastic than my stupid brother, but I'll play along._"

"_Alright, then go ahead and launch,_" said Murrue.

* * *

"Sir, they've sent out the Raven and Guardian," said DaCosta. Waltfeld nodded.

"Alright, send in the remaining BuCUEs and attack helicopters," said Waltfeld. "I want to see what these guys can do."

* * *

"Alright Kira, we've given you all the cover we can," said Makoto as the three of them let loose from the air. Unfortunately, the last two BuCUEs emerged from hiding, obviously tired of simple potshots, and the storm of fire knocked both the Raven and Guardian out of the sky, though Makoto managed to evade it.

_Okay, I think I'm getting the hang of th… agh!_

A barrage of missiles from a nearly a dozen helicopters hit the Dauntless, sending it to the ground, and the BuCUEs and choppers continued to pound on the three nearly helpless machines.

Suddenly, beams lanced out in a rapid succession, destroying the bulk of the helicopters, and taking out the missile pod of one BuCUE.

The Strike faded into existence, dropping its Mirage Colloid, sniper rifle held in hand. One BuCUE tried leaping at the Strike, but the Strike slammed its knee into the machine's chest, crushing the armor in that area. As another BuCUE tried to tackle the white mobile suit, Kira lashed out with the butte of his sniper rifle, sending the machine flying back. Before anyone could react, Kira took aim with the sniper rifle and blasted the power plant of the quadrupedal mobile suit, annihilating it.

"_Guys, I'll keep them busy, I'm sending you the OS modifications now,_" said Kira. However, before he could do so, the remaining enemies let loose a massive barrage, which struck the entire group, sending Kira tumbling to the ground.

* * *

Far away from the battle zone, beyond the range of any of the Earth Forces to detect, a ZAFT land battleship carried out the orders of the Desert Tiger, took aim with its main cannon… and fired.

* * *

_Archangel _Bridge

On Miriallia's station display, Mu's face suddenly appeared.

"_The Skygrasper is ready to go,_" he said. "_I'm launching._"

"Incoming heat source from the southwest!" announced Chandra. "It's a cannon blast!"

"Take off, evasive maneuvers!" ordered Murrue immediately. The _Archangel_ did so, moving into the air, and attempting to avoid the cannon fire.

"Where's it coming from?" asked Natarle.

"Projected source: twenty kilometers southwest!" responded Sai.

"Afraid that's out of our range, so we can't mount a counterattack," said Jackie.

"_I'll go mark the enemy with my laser designator, then you can fire your missiles at that target,_" came Mu's voice.

"It's not like we have time to search for the enemy," said Natarle.

"_We won't know until we try,_" said Mu as he readied his Skygrasper on the catapult. "_Just don't them get you before then._"

The Skygrasper moved onto the port catapult.

"_La Flaga, standby,_" came Mir's voice as the catapult opened. "_Course clear for launch. System, all green._"

Mu heard her words and launched his Skygrasper.

* * *

Andy's eyes narrowed as he focused his binoculars on the fighter that had just emerged from the _Archangel_'s catapult.

"That machine wasn't mentioned in the report," he murmured.

* * *

"Second wave approaching!" warned Chandra.

"Evade it!" ordered Murrue. "All hands, prepare for sudden impact!"

"It'll be a direct hit!" said Chandra.

* * *

"No, the _Archangel_!" cried Kira. The others were rushing to input the OS modifications, but even Makoto, the quickest of them after Kira, was having difficulty getting it done even half as quickly under heavy fire.

Behind Kira's eyes, an amethyst seed burst in a nova of color and light.

"Makoto, fire the Dauntless's cannons into the sand," said Kira. "It should provide some cover."

Makoto mentally kicked herself over not thinking of this. Some leader she was—too busy panicking and trying to get out of this alive to think of generating a visual cover to buy more time.

Opening up with her machine cannons, Makoto did as told, creating a cloud of sand around them. The Strike leapt up, sniper rifle held in hand, and Kira took careful aim as he evaded a railgun shot by a BuCUE. He squeezed the trigger, and the single beam of energy pierced three of the high-velocity rounds, drawing gasps of shock from all the onlookers. Kira holstered the sniper rifle on his backpack, and grabbed both beam rifles from the Strike's hips, and fired them repeatedly at the remaining cannon shells, destroying all of them before they could reach the _Archangel_.

But as the Strike landed back on the sand, the other three machines now standing atop the desert surface just as easily, a warning alarm went off in the cockpit.

His machine was low on power… and he was certain his friends were in similar condition.

And there were still four choppers and three BuCUEs left.

* * *

"Captain!" called Mir. "All four of our mobile suits are low on power! They won't last much longer!"

"Damn it," muttered Natarle.

"Can we provide any support?" asked Murrue, even though she already knew the answer.

"Not in this situation," said Romero Pal. Flay stared out the forward viewport in horror as the enemy closed in on the vulnerable Gundams.

* * *

"The proper timing and application of force is the true way to win a battle, Waltfeld. Even a pinprick can be fatal if aimed correctly."

* * *

Suddenly, a trio of shots rang out. Two choppers and a railgun barrel of a BuCUE exploded. A gray GINN High Maneuver type, covered in a tan tarp, armed with a sniper rifle, was laying on a sand dune a fair distance away. The GINN rose to its feet, its crimson monoeye scanning across the battlefield.

"Amazing. To be able to hit three separate targets so quickly and from that far away. That sniper's almost as good as the Strike's," said DaCosta.

"Sure is. They're the first snipers I've seen to rival the Black Hawk," said Waltfeld. "Maybe we should call in the Alaric Team for reinforcements, I'm sure John would simply _love_ the chance to find out who's the superior sniper."

As Waltfeld finished talking, a band of rebel vehicles appeared over several sand dunes, firing missiles at the BuCUEs and helicopters. While their weapons were inferior to the weapons of the BuCUEs, they were major distraction to the mobile suits, and took another chopper out of commission.

One jeep parked next to the Strike and fired a cable to the Strike's leg.

"_Pilot of the Earth Forces mobile suits, if you want to live, follow my instructions,_" a voice said over the comm. "_We've set a trap at this location. Lure the BuCUEs there._"

"_You gotta be kidding me,_" said Chris.

"_Uh, hello, they've got a GINN on their side, we're in trouble… I think we should listen to them,_" said Liz. "_Kira, Makoto?_"

"Definitely," said Kira. "We don't have any real choice."

"_No, we don't,_" said Makoto. "_Alright, let's go._"

Taking to the air, the four mobile suits soared over the sand for the target location as the jeeps spread out away from them. As they stopped at the location of the trap, they turned around, the Raven and Guardian in mobile armor mode, while the Dauntless landed on the sand next to the Strike, Exia held at the ready.

As the BuCUEs leapt at them, the Strike and Dauntless leapt backwards, while the Guardian and Raven flew off in the opposite direction.

Waltfeld, who had been frowning in confusion over the strange tactics of the four mobile suits, gasped in sudden realization. Unfortunately, it was too late to do anything about it.

A series of sudden explosions surrounded the BuCUEs, before one final explosive went off, consuming the mobile suits in a massive ball of fire.

The Strike and Dauntless landed on the sand and collapsed to their knees as the last of the combat power was drained from their batteries, their armor fading back to dull grey. The Guardian and Raven, transforming back to mobile suits, landed next to them as they too lost power, turning a similar dull grey.

"We're withdrawing," said Andrew. "We've achieved our immediate goal."

* * *

A Short While Later

The sun rose over the sand as the four Earth Forces mobile suits moved over to where the _Archangel_ had landed, the warriors of Desert Dawn gathering before it. The GINN, upon arriving, knelt down, and the cockpit opened, the pilot clambering out to join his comrades.

From the _Archangel_, Murrue and Mu emerged, approaching the guerillas, in particular the group that appeared to comprise the leaders.

"It's only proper that we should thank you," said Murrue as they came to a stop. "After all, your group did save our ship and mobile suits."

"Murrue Ramius, Earth Forces," continued the captain, introducing herself. "I'm with the 8th Fleet."

"How is that?" asked one of the guerillas, a younger man who looked to be only Liz's age, at best. "Wasn't the 8th Fleet completely wiped out by the enemy?"

Murrue's face became slightly downcast at that, but for the most part, she hid it from the rebels.

The bearded man who seemed to be the leader held an arm up in front of the young man, silencing him.

"Our group is known as the Desert Dawn," he said. "I go by the name of Sahib Ashman. You need not bother thanking us. I'm sure you understand. The reason we were fighting was not necessarily to save you. We attacked them only because they also happen to be our enemy."

"You guys versus the Desert Tiger?" said Mu. "Fighting for awhile?"

Sahib glanced at Mu. "I recognize you," he said. "But I cannot say how or from where."

"That's Mu La Flaga. The Hawk of Endymion," said a man in a dark trenchcoat, with short black hair and gray eyes. He was the pilot of the GINN.

The man extended his hand to Mu. "Victor Cain. Formerly of ZAFT's Alaric Team. Now a merc working for the Desert Dawn."

Mu shook the man's hand. "One of Alaric's guys, eh? I thought I recognized that type of GINN," said Mu.

"Yes," said Victor. "Until that assassination attempt. The Black Hawk went a little loopy after that. The Alaric Team effectively turned into the Kessel Team, and while I respect Miss Kessel, the Black Hawk was my true commander. So, I took my GINN and left. Been fighting as a mercenary ever since.

"You strike me as well informed people," said Murrue. "Do you know who we are?"

"You are the crew of the _Archangel_, the Earth Forces new warship," said Sahib. "You came to Earth to escape the Le Creuset Team. Those machines of yours are…"

"X105 Strike, X106 Dauntless, X302 Raven, and X308 Guardian," said the blond girl. Sahib frowned, and stepped between her and the two Earth Forces officers.

In the mobile suits, the four pilots all focused on the blonde, trying to place where they'd seen her before.

"So here we are. How good it is that you know who we are and we know who you are," said Sahib. "Though I am surprised that you are here. I assume that you landing here was an accident. So I'm curious to know what you plan to do next."

"Can we count on your complete cooperation?" asked Murrue. Sahib smirked, almost smugly.

"If you're serious about talking, then you should lower your weapons," he said, before glancing at the mobile suits. "They should disarm as well."

Murrue was quiet for a moment.

"Very well," she said finally. She turned to the mobile suits and activated the small radio she kept with her. "Lieutenant Arata, Ensign Yamato, Ensign Dante… um, both of you… come down here."

Makoto and the others chuckled slightly at Murrue's words as they unbuckled themselves and opened the hatch for each of their machines, grabbing hold of the zip cable on the hatch and lowering themselves to the ground.

As they walked towards the guerillas, Kira reached up and pulled off his helmet, with Makoto doing the same seconds later. The resistance fighters were shocked to see such young pilots, though after seeing the first two, they were less surprised when they saw the young faces of the remaining two.

And one of them was not only completely unsurprised to see the other two, but was also filled with sudden, unexplainable fury.

The blonde, glaring intensely, ran towards them. "So, it is you," she said, surprising Kira and the other onlookers. "What… what is someone like you doing in that thing?!" She tried to slap him, but Kira caught her wrist. "Let go of me!" she shouted, trying to break free. Kira, however, held tight his grip, and pulled her a little closer, before he realized who she was.

"That's right," he said quietly. "You're that girl we met back at Morgenroete." The eyes of his fellow pilots widened as they realized that he was right, and that _that_ was where they'd seen her before.

"That's right," said Chris. "The tomboy girl we thought was a boy."

"Why you!" said the blonde angrily, and, exerting sudden, surprising strength, broke free of Kira's grip and viciously slammed her fist into Chris's jaw.

"Ow.… Damn," said Chris, rubbing his jaw as he stumbled back. "You hit as hard as my sister."

"Oh really?" said Liz before punching him as well.

"Ow! What is this, beat up on Chris day?!"

Makoto glanced over towards the guerillas, in particular the one who called the blonde back.

_Cagalli…_ she thought, recognizing the name. _No… it can't be…_

* * *

Desert Dawn Main Base

A Few Hours Later

"This is our frontline base. Our homes are in the towns," said Sahib. "At least, if they haven't been burned to the ground. Tassil, Moula, and even as far as Banadiya. Our group is all volunteers, expect for Mr. Cain, who's a merc we found and hired." Sahib paused, pouring a cup of coffee. "Coffee?"

Victor took a sip of coffee and immediately spat it out on the ground. "Okay… Who made this swill?" said Victor in annoyance. "If you can't make a decent cup of coffee, than don't even bother making it."

Victor immediately poured the pot of coffee on the ground and started making a fresh pot.

Sahib shook his head. "You'll have to forgive Mr. Cain. He's an excellent strategist and easily one of the best marksmen alive. But he has an _eccentric_ love of coffee."

"Hey there's nothing wrong with wanting a good cup of coffee in the morning."

"You average a dozen cups a day."

"Okay… There's nothing wrong with wanting a good cup of coffee in the morning, afternoon and evening."

Sahib sighed and shook his again. He walked over to the table in the center of the command room.

"So what's her name?" said Mu, motioning to the blond girl.

"We call her the Goddess of Victory."

"And I call the Overemotional Goddess," said Victor.

The blond let out an annoyed growl and threw an empty coffee cup at him. Victor merely sidestepped it, intent on the coffee.

"See," he said. "Overemotional."

The girl scowled and left the room.

"Okay…" said Mu. "But that doesn't answer my question. What's her name?"

"Cagalli Yula," said Victor. Makoto's head snapped up, staring at him.

_Okay… that can't be a coincidence, I'm sure of it._

"While this area may be under the domination of ZAFT, it's not like they have enough forces can control the entire desert," said Sahib. "Yet only three days ago ZAFT conquered the Victoria Base. Since then, they've extended their control over the area."

"Did you say Victoria?" asked Natarle. Makoto's breath hitched. That would leave Panama as the Earth Forces only remaining spaceport, and in turn, put Orb in greater danger.

"Yeah," said Victor. "A shame about that. They ruined a rather nice contract I had with the Earth Forces."

"Oh?" said Mu.

"Yeah. I was supposed to report to the Victoria Base," explained Victor. "They were gonna send me to the 8th Fleet. I would have been there when they linked up with you guys. Probably would have assigned me to the _Archangel_. But they attacked before I could get there. Had they waited a day, I would have made it. But ZAFT had other plans and I ended up joining these folks."

"Hmm," murmured Sahib. "The African Community of this area has traditionally sided with the PLANTs. The lower region, the South African Union resisted as best they could. But in the end, the Earth Forces still abandoned them anyway." Sahib heaved a slight sigh. "Everyday, the frontlines are being pushed back, farther and farther."

"But that hasn't stopped you guys, now has it?" said Mu.

Sahib took a long hard stare at him. "As we see it, ZAFT and the Earth Forces are no different. They both come to gain control and take away what is ours."

"Something we agree on," said Makoto, drawing a stare from the others. "When you look at the whole, you can never really have a good opinion of any large military organization."

"That's true," said Mu. Murrue gave the smallest nod of agreement, while Natarle remained quiet, unsure whether to add her own agreement or object to Makoto's statement.

"How well does that ship of yours' fare in Earth's atmosphere?" asked Victor, pouring a cup of coffee. "Anyone else want some coffee?"

Murrue, Natarle, and Makoto declined. Mu took a cup.

"It can't fly at high altitudes," admitted Natarle.

"If it can't fly over a mountain range, then your other option is to try to break through the Gibraltar Base," said Sahib. Makoto snorted.

"Oh come on!" she said. "There's _got_ to be a better option than going and committing suicide!"

"Well, there _is_ another way," said Victor, taking a sip of his coffee. "But it's potentially as dangerous as Gibraltar."

"And what would that option be?" asked Murrue.

"You could take the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean, and then over to the Pacific Ocean," explained Sahib.

"_But_, there's one critical obstacle in your path," said Victor.

"That would be?" asked Mu. Victor smirked dangerously.

"The Desert Tiger."

* * *

The _Archangel_'s Hanger

Later That Night

_I have to get stronger,_ thought Kira as he furiously typed away in the Strike's cockpit. _Makoto needs to realize she can count on all of us as well._

"I've seen that look before. You're thinking that you're the only one who can protect this ship and everyone on board."

Kira glanced around the monitor. Standing there was that mercenary. "Hi there. I don't believe we've been properly introduced. I'm Victor Cain. Coffee?"

"Ah… sure. I'm Kira Yamato."

Victor handed him a mug and two silently drank for a minute. "You know it will only get worse," said Victor.

"What?"

"If you spend all your time working on this thing and fighting, you're only going to burn yourself out," said Victor. "When that happens, all that with remain of you is a burnt out shell. And then you'll be useless to anyone."

"I know that," said Kira. "But—"

"But you're the only one that can protect the ship. Stop being so arrogant kid. Everybody on board this ship is fighting to protect it. Not just you," said Victor. "No true defense can rest on the shoulder of one man."

"That's not what I was going to say," said Kira. "This is about Makoto. She's trying to take too much of the burden on herself, and so far, words haven't seemed to get through to her."

"Ah, so you're trying to prove to her that she can share the burden," said Victor, nodding. "Okay, that makes sense. Sorry that I judged you preemptively. But I meant what I said. Spending every waking moment in this cockpit will destroy you and likely hurt everyone around you. Nothing wrong with spending some extra time on the Strike, but take that other pilot, Chris, or his sister, Liz. I noticed him spending a fair amount of time with that redheaded girl, teaching her martial arts, and Liz spent a fair amount of time with Lieutenant Arata. And right now, they're having dinner with the rest of your friends." Victor sighed slightly. "Listen, go and have some dinner with them. Don't make me pull you out of there and lock down the Strike."

"Okay, okay, I'm going," said Kira with a slight smile. If Makoto was hanging out with Liz and they were having dinner with the others, maybe things with her weren't quite as bad as he had thought.

As soon as Kira was out of the hangar, Victor climbed into the cockpit of the Strike.

"Now, let's see just how good this machine is," he said, pulling out the computer monitor.

"You know, if you wanted to look at the data, you could've just asked," came another voice suddenly, and Victor shivered slightly as he looked outside the cockpit to see Makoto leaning up against the catwalk railing right outside.

"Um, er, well, uh…" stuttered Victor. Makoto smirked—that same smirk he'd kept flashing at her and the other officers. Damn it, now he understood. That look was infuriating—of course she'd go out of her way to cause him trouble.

"Tell you what," said Makoto. "I won't tell anyone about this, and in exchange, you help me with my marksmanship and serve as my sparring partner for martial arts practice. Deal?"

"Deal," said Victor, immediately seizing on the opportunity to avoid having Kira and the other officers kill him for touching the Strike.

* * *

Outside Tassil

"The whole town is asleep sir," said DaCosta.

"There are some who would put them to sleep permanently," said Waltfeld. "There are those who like that approach. Not me. We'll give them a warning first then attack fifteen minutes later." He turned to look at DaCosta. "Well, go on. Warn them."

"Sir." said DaCosta, getting into another jeep.

The jeep sped off for the town.

* * *

Eighteen Minutes Later

The kids from Heliopolis, with the notable exception of Makoto, were all gathered around one of the many campfires in the rebel base, eating and taking amongst themselves.

"Things were certainly taken a strange turn," said Sai. "Who would have thought that we would end up in a rebel camp of all places."

"It's better than being alone the desert with only ZAFT Forces for company," said Liz.

"True," said Sai. "But it's still pretty strange."

"Well, strange things happen," said Chris.

"Hey, where's Makoto anyway?" asked Kira. "Mr. Cain said she was out here with the rest of you."

Liz shrugged. "She said there was something she needed to do a little while ago. Who knows?"

"Hmm," murmured Flay. "I think she said she wanted to talk to Mr. Cain about something, but she didn't say anything else."

"Huh," said Chris. "Now what could that be ab—"

"The sky! It's burning!" someone shouted suddenly, interrupting Chris and drawing everyone's attention.

"It's coming from Tassil!!" shouted another guerilla. Standing up, the kids saw that the sky was, indeed, lit up brightly in one direction, and sudden fear gripped all of them—none more so than Flay, who easily the most fragile amongst them.

* * *

**Author's Note: I hope everyone enjoyed that. As I said earlier, even though Makoto seems to have recovered really fast, she hasn't. Inside, she's still a wreck, which is why she kept making mistakes during the fight. This is also why she wanted Victor to help train her marksmanship and serve as a sparring partner. She'd ask Chris, but he's already busy with Flay. I also liked the Makoto and Natarle scene. My presentation of Natarle is one I think people will really enjoy, as I present the changes she undergoes throughout the story as well. These changes will become even more apparent at Orb and after Alaska.**

**For those of you screaming about Victor Cain being John Alaric, and the fact that he couldn't possibly have gotten to Desert Dawn that quickly, I suggest you just wait and see before making judgments. All will be explained in time.**

**Oh, and by sparring partner, Makoto meant that she wants Victor to play punching bag.**

**Anyways, I think it's time for me to finally list mecha information here, rather than on the mecha page. I might, eventually, add Dagger mobile suits to the mecha pages, or information on other less "mainstream" mecha, such as the ZGMF-X11A Regenerate or the ZGMF-X12A Testament. Hell, perhaps even the GAT-333 Raider Full Spec (that is the model number, right?). Anyways, I hope everyone enjoyed this chaper.**

**Please leave a review! Ja ne!**

* * *

_"Whether from afar or up close, they shall never see me coming until it is too late." _– Victor Cain.

**GINN High-Maneuver Type Victor Cain Custom "Talos":  
**Description:  
A GINN High-Maneuver Type belonging to Victor Cain, a mysterious pilot formerly of the Alaric Team. All that is known of him is that he left the team following the failed assassination attempt on John Alaric, and has been working as a mercenary ever since. A sore loss for the Alaric Team to be sure, as Victor Cain's skills as a marksman rival even the legendary skills of the Black Hawk himself.

**Model Number:** ZGMF-1017MX  
**Overall Height:** 21.13 meters  
**Weight:** 80.41 tons  
**Power Plant:** Ultracompact Energy Battery  
**Special Model Features:** Lightwave Pulse Thrusters  
**Fixed Armament:** 2x MA-M4A Heavy Blade, stored on back, hand-carried in use; 2x MA-K2D Assault Knife, stored in shoulder armor, hand-carried in use;  
**Optional Hand Armament:** JDP2-MMX22 experimental 27mm armor assault rifle with MA-M3 heavy sword bayonet; MMI-M7LRS 76mm Heavy Assault Sniper Rifle;  
**Pilot:** Victor Cain

**Appearance:** Same as GINN High-Maneuver Type.  
**Color:** Gray with dark gray trim.

**Notes:** This machine is identical to the "Talos" that appeared in Akatsuki Leader13's _Gundam SEED: A Retelling_, with one, major difference: I removed the beam sabers and replaced them with assault knives, while adding the "real" melee weapons to the back in the form of the CGUE sword. The reason is really quite simple: how would the Talos have beam sabers? It doesn't make any sense to me. Now, after Victor joins up with the _Archangel_ crew more permanently, his GINN will be modified to use the Strike's beam sabers, and they'll replace the assault knives in the shoulder.


	12. Phase 11: Payback

**Alright, now then, first and foremost: _I'M SORRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_**

**I need to apologize to all the readers and fans of _Mobile Suit Gundam SEED The White Queen_, for not updating that story for so long. I realize that it's been over three weeks now since the last update, and for that, I apologize. Between some inspiration for other stories, a large amount of housework, general chaos in the residence, and several other outside factors, I haven't been able to dedicate as much time to it as I would like. But there's something far more sinister going on: writer's block, for lack of a better term. There's a single scene I'm trying to get written that I just can't get right. While others, even the biggest fans, might disregard the scene as overall unimportant, to me, it is vastly important, as such scenes have been far too infrequent, even though they're what should be defining the story as a whole: a KiraLacus scene. This one scene has given me more trouble than pretty much all my other writing combined. It's difficult to write a KiraLacus scene in the actual SEED setting without going overboard with it, and its starting to drive me into the same sort of insanity that lands one in the padded rooms where the strictly enforced dress code is straight jackets.**

**Anyways, I think that's enough of that. On with the show!**

**Disclaimer: Didn't I say I'd only write one for the first chapter and chapters where new OCs or OMSs are introduced?  
**

* * *

Phase Eleven: Payback

February 16th, C.E. 71

* * *

Desert Dawn Base

Outside the _Archangel_

"Agh, damn it, did that maniac burn down Tassil?" asked Victor as he ran out of the ship.

"Maniac? I know the Tiger's supposed to be a little messed up in the head but…" said Makoto, following after him.

"A little? No, this guy's as messed up in the head as they come," said Victor. "That said… he's really quite a good guy. Huh? Wonder what's going through his head, though I've got a few guesses. Anyways, you might want to get ready to sortie. I'm going to Tassil to check up on things."

"Got it," said Makoto, rushing back for the _Archangel_. "I'll send Liz and Chris along just in case."

* * *

Outside Tassil

"Is it over with? Were there any casualties?" asked Waltfeld as DaCosta returned to his jeep.

"Why would there be? It's not like we were actually fighting anyone," said DaCosta.

"I meant on both sides."

"Well, there may have been the odd person who took a tumble or were singed by the heat, but that's about it," said DaCosta.

"Then let's get out of here. The men will be returning soon."

"Wasn't the whole point of this to ambush them as they return?"

"What, are you kidding? That's not exactly fair, now is it?" said Waltfeld. "We didn't burn down their homes just to ambush them."

"But still—"

"Our objective has been achieved. We'll be returning now."

* * *

A Short While Later

As the jeeps of the resistance drove for the burning ruins of Tassil, a gray GINN HM type came up behind them. Meanwhile, a white, blue, and orange fighter, and a pair of mobile armors flew over them.

"Whoa… this is bad," said Mu. "Total destruction."

"_Huh? Chris, Commander, do you see that?_" said Liz, banking the Guardian to come over a large group of survivors.

"_Yeah,_" said Chris as he and Mu flew their machines over the survivors as well.

"La Flaga here," said Mu, transmitting back to the _Archangel_. "There are survivors from the town. Or more precisely, a large number of people seem to be fine. I don't understand how or why."

"_And the enemy?_" asked Murrue.

"_No sign of them anywhere,_" said Chris.

"_Well don't let your guard down,_" said Makoto. "_Kira's not around to bail you guys out of trouble if it shows up._"

"_Yeah, yeah,_" said Liz. "_I know Kira's the one who keeps saving all of us, but couldn't you show just a little more faith in us?_"

Below, the resistance fighters' jeeps stopped near the survivors, the two groups greeting each other with relief. Taking the lead, Mu landed the Skygrasper, while Chris and Liz shifted their machines to mobile suit mode and landed as well.

"Commander!" exclaimed Natarle as her own jeep stopped next to Mu's fighter as he climbed out of it. "What's going on?"

"Anyone who can move, give us a hand!" shouted Sahib. "Gather up the injured and bring them to this area!"

"Sahib!" came an elderly call. Sahib gasped slightly when he saw a slouched over figure holding a cane, being held up by a young boy.

"Yaru! Chief, you're alright!" cried Cagalli as she caught sight of the two and ran up to them.

"Father! Cagalli!" said Yaru happily.

"Yaru, I'm glad that you are okay," said Sahib. "Where are your mother and Enna?"

"Old man Shanzidan tripped and fell down while we were escaping, so they're looking after him," said Yaru. Sahib smiled slightly.

"Is that so?" he said, leaning forward and ruffling his son's hair slightly before turning his attention to the chief. "How many of our people were killed?" he asked, dreading the answer.

"Not one life has been sacrificed," said the chief, drawing gasps of surprise from Sahib and Cagalli. "They issued a warning to us ahead of time. They said they were setting fire to the town and told us to run away."

"But… how can this be?" muttered Sahib.

Victor frowned. He knew the Tiger well by reputation and the words of John Alaric, and had even met the veteran terrestrial mobile suit pilot personally once or twice, though he certainly hadn't been lying to Makoto about the guy being a maniac.

Chris and Liz were relieved. It would certainly have been simpler for the ZAFT forces to just burn the entire town to the ground, but hadn't. They'd issued a warning, saving who knew how many lives. Their commander, clearly, was a decent person.

"And then they set everything ablaze," continued the chief. "Food, ammunition, fuel… everything. Granted, we suffered no casualties. But what happens now? How are we expected to live?"

Many of the townsfolk and guerillas scowled angrily, and Sahib's hand curled into a fist.

"That dirty mangy dog," he said. "What must be going through that maniac's head?"

"Survival is possible y'know, as long you're alive," said Mu.

"What?" gasped Sahib, looking back the mobile armor ace with Cagalli.

"It appears that the Tiger has no intention of engaging in a serious battle with you," said Mu.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Sahib.

"This is likely payback for what you did to their forces last night," explained Mu. "I have to say, it's pretty generous of the Tiger to let you off with something as relatively minor as this."

"You're kidding me!" exclaimed Cagalli, rushing into Mu's face. "You call this minor?! Having a town burnt to the ground is nothing to you? How can you even think of someone who'd do this as generous?"

Chris immediately decided not to get involved. Cagalli was just too stubborn and difficult to be reasoned with in a way that was befitting of allies—well, that, and after the repeated abuse of his sister, Flay, and what Cagalli had thrown into the mix, plus Makoto's threats, he'd long ago decided to never get on _any_ woman's bad side.

"What you fail to understand," said Victor, surprisingly being the one to come to Mu's rescue. "Is that these guys are professional soldiers. If they wanted to, they could have killed everyone in the town as well. And most of the land based commanders on both sides of this war, would not have give any warning at all."

"Exactly," said Mu. "I meant no offense, and I apologize if I upset you in any way. However, Cain's right. I'm sure even you can concede that if they were serious, it would've turned out much worse."

"That guy's nothing but a lousy, stinking coward," said Cagalli. "He burns down this town while were not even here and thinks of it as a victory?! Every time we go into battle, we manage to fight with courage! We even destroyed their BuCUEs in that last operation! That's why that jerk commander can only get us back with a cowardly response like this. To hell with the Desert Tiger!"

"No. You're mistaken. He doesn't call this a victory. He calls this a merciful punishment," said Victor. "And what do you truly know of war and honor? Did you really expect him to sit back while his men are killed? No. Honor demands that he avenge them. And he did so, honorably and mercifully. Tell me Cagalli, what would you do if you were him?"

"I…"

"A group of rebels just ambushed and killed several soldiers under your command. You now have to write to their families that their loved ones are dead. And you don't know where the central base of these rebels is located, meaning you can't attack them directly. So what would you do?"

"What Waltfeld did was the most honorable thing he could have done," continued Victor. "He attacked a town supporting the rebels but warned the population beforehand, so they could escape. He could have easily wiped out this town and any other town that he believed was aiding us with ease."

"The Tiger's still a coward!" shouted Cagalli, glaring at him.

Desert Dawn fighters and many of the people of Tassil shouted their own agreements while glaring at the mercenary, though Sahib and Kisaka were the most notable to remain silent. Victor shook his head. "Whatever. I'm being paid to fight, not prove how wrong you people are."

* * *

_Archangel_ Bridge

"_You know, I'm really starting to like this Victor Cain character,_" said Makoto. Natarle had had Liz start recording and transmitting what was going on back to the _Archangel_, so the crew wouldn't be in the dark to what was going on.

Murrue nodded in agreement.

"He's intelligent and experienced," she said. "And he understands the enemy."

"_And a lot of other people I think,_" added Kira. "_Ah, geez, things don't look good over there._"

"_What'd you expect?_" asked Makoto, watching the transmission with the rest. "_Anyways, captain, think we can hire Cain when all this is over? I imagine he'd be a tremendous help._"

"We'll see," said Murrue.

* * *

Ruins of Tassil

"Sahib," called one of the guerillas.

"What is it?" asked Sahib.

"Over this way," said the guerilla, leading Sahib away.

"What is it? What's going on?" asked Sahib again when he reached the jeeps where some others were apparently waiting for him.

"It hasn't been that long since they withdrew from the area," said a guerilla sitting on the jeep. "We could still catch up to them!"

"What?" said Sahib incredulously.

"They'll be low on ammunition!" said a guerilla. "So now would be the perfect opportunity to attack them!"

"We will strike back at ZAFT," said a masked guerilla. "We can't just sit around here if we're being treated like this."

"Don't be ridiculous!" said Sahib. "If you're wondering what to do with your time, take care of the injured! Stay here and protect your wives and children. That is most important of all!"

"And how is that supposed to help our cause?" asked a third guerilla. "Look!" he said, pointing angrily over Sahib's shoulder at Tassil. "The Tassil we once knew is gone! Our homes, food, everything has been burnt to the ground! Are we supposed to sit back and weep with our wives and little ones?!"

"You can't be saying that we should reconcile ourselves to being the Tiger's lapdogs," said the masked guerilla. "Is that the case?"

"Please, listen to reason!" said Victor, rushing over to them. "No one died today, but if you go after the Tiger with just those weapons and no planning, then you wives and children will be burying you!"

"Coward!" shouted one of the guerillas.

"It's not cowardice to avoid blindly chasing after an enemy with a superior force," said Victor, reigning in his frustration. It may not have been his job to point out their inherent stupidity, but he wasn't going to sit back while these people tried to convince everyone to rush off and get themselves killed.

"Shut up, you damned ZAFT grunt! What would you know?!"

Sahib was quiet, trying to restrain his anger over the stupidity and blind anger his men were showing.

"Time to go!" called one of the guerillas as the first of the jeeps drove away in pursuit of the ZAFT forces before anyone could get another word in. Several more followed them.

"Ah great," said Victor. Sahib growled.

"Pedoru!" he shouted to one of men sitting in one of the few remaining jeeps.

"Are you planning to go with them, Sahib?" asked Cagalli.

"They can't go alone," said Sahib grimly as Pedoru pulled up his jeep and Sahib climbed in.

"Huh? Sahib, wait, I'm coming with you!" said Cagalli, running up and trying to climb in the jeep, only to be knocked back by Sahib.

"Not now, you stay behind!" said Sahib

"Alright, once I get back to my GINN, I'll join you," said Victor.

"No. You stay as well," said Sahib. "If I don't come back, take command of the Desert Dawn."

"What?! I'm a mercenary, not a rebel leader!" said Victor.

"You're the only other person with the skill and cool head to lead the Desert Dawn if something happens to me."

Victor sighed. "Fine. Just do us both a favor and don't get killed. You still have to pay me."

"Sahib!" called Cagalli as his jeep drove off in pursuit of the others. Suddenly, another jeep pulled up in front of her.

"Climb aboard!" said Ahmed, the jeep's driver. Kisaka stood in the back of the vehicle. Cagalli nodded, and climbed into the passenger seat before the jeep drove off.

"I have to say, this is a land where both the wind and the people get very heated," commented Mu, walking up to Victor with Natarle and Chris as the jeeps drove off.

"They're going to be wiped out," said Natarle. "With they're mediocre equipment, they don't stand a chance against the BuCUEs."

"It's always been the most passionate that are the most heroic. And the most foolish," said Victor. "The question is, what are you going to do?"

"Don't you mean we?" asked Chris.

"No. I know what I'm doing: I'm going to ensure that I get paid," said Victor as he turned and started walking to his GINN. "I suggest that you guys do the same. The _Archangel_ is safe where it is, but if Sahib dies, you may not be escaping the desert at all."

* * *

_Archangel_ Hangar

"_What did you just say?_" asked Murrue. In the Dauntless, Makoto was just as shocked. The last of the events hadn't been recorded for them. "_They went after the enemy? But don't they realize how crazy that is?! Why didn't you try to stop them, commander?_"

"_Like I could,_" said Mu. "_They were so determined that if I'd tried, they'd attack us. Victor went after them, and suggested we do the same. More importantly… there are many injured here who need treatment. And there's the problem of food, especially water. What'll we do?_"

"_It's clear there isn't a second attack force,_" said Murrue. "_I'll have Lieutenant Arata and Ensign Yamato check up on them, and tell Chris and Liz to do the same. We can't sit back and let them get killed. I'll have our remaining vehicles deliver water and medical supplies._"

"Hold on," said Makoto, quickly thinking everything over. "All four of us would be overkill, especially with Victor going after them. Plus, that's the sort of force you use for a counterstrike, not a rescue operation. We need to make it clear to them that we _aren't_ supporting their attempt at payback."

"_So what do you propose then?_" asked Natarle.

"Simple," said Makoto. "Kira, I want you to pursue them in the Strike. Chris, you follow after Victor and meet up with Kira on the way. This gives us a significant force, given the numbers you'd likely be facing, and makes it clear that we're only there to bail them out. If we send our full force, it's practically screaming that we agree with them, even if we only stick around to deal with the BuCUEs."

"_Politics?_" asked Chris from the Raven. Makoto nodded.

"Exactly," she said. "My aunt, who I was living with before going to Heliopolis, is a politician, and she sort of hammered it into me, so I have at least some understanding. We have to send the message with actions as well as words: we're allies, but we're not their soldiers. We've joined forces only because we have a common enemy, and not because we're driven by the sort of apparently idiotic passion they fight with."

"_Makes sense,_" said Mu. "_Everyone agreed then?_"

"_Yes,_" said Murrue. "_Makoto's right. Crewman Haw, prep the Strike for launch._"

"_Roger that,_" came Mir's voice.

"Let's go ahead and launch the Dauntless too," said Makoto. "Liz and I will help with delivering supplies."

* * *

Elsewhere

"Can't we go a little faster than this?" asked DaCosta as the strike force proceeded steadily through the desert.

"You're eager to get back, huh?" asked Andy.

"At the speed we're going, they'll catch up to us!" said DaCosta.

"Then we're meant to meet, it's fate," said Andy. "They're artillery trucks are no match against our BuCUEs." He closed his eyes, leaning his head back against his hands. "Whenever people are put to the test, I often hear them boast "I'd rather die". But do you think they honestly mean it?"

"_Commander?_" came the voice of the lead BuCUE pilot over the radio. "_There are vehicles approaching us from behind. Six… no eight vehicles. They appear to be those of the resistance fighters._"

"Huh?" said DaCosta.

"Maybe those people would rather die after all," commented Andy. Behind them, jeeps flew over the dunes, and a familiar blonde resistance fighter launch an RPG at the jeep that DaCosta heard coming and evaded.

"What now commander?" asked DaCosta.

"We have no choice, we're fighting back," said Andy calmly as DaCosta wheeled the jeep away.

"Go after the jeep," said a resistance fighter. "This time, we're hunting the Tiger!" With that, he launched another RPG towards the jeep, but one of the BuCUEs moved in the way, the projectile exploding harmlessly against the mobile suit's armor before it lifted one of its legs and attempted to crush the jeeps. The drivers pulled away in time, and Cagalli fired a grenade at the BuCUEs head, the explosion blinding the pilot, while Kisaka blasted another grenade at an exposed joint at the ankle, causing the BuCUE to collapse to the ground.

"Yeah!" said Ahmed.

"We did it!" cried Cagalli excitedly.

A missile truck fired at a BuCUE, but it jumped into the air, directly above the truck, and converted its legs to their high-speed caterpillar track mode. The BuCUE landed on the offending vehicle, crushing it entirely, and turned its attention to the remainder, chasing them.

The jeeps couldn't keep up with the BuCUE, and the two vehicles were crushed as well.

As the BuCUE converted back to its standard combat walking mode, Ahmed pulled his jeep underneath it, allowing Cagalli and Kisaka to fire grenades into its belly. Unfortunately, while the pilot was slightly shaken, the explosives inflicted no real damage to the BuCUE.

The BuCUE slowed down, getting behind the jeep, and lifted its leg.

"Jump off!" shouted Kisaka.

"Huh?" said Ahmed. Kisaka grabbed Cagalli and leapt from the jeep an instant before the BuCUE crashed its foot into the vehicle, sending the car and Ahmed flying.

"Ahmed!" cried Cagalli as the BuCUE set its foot back on the ground right next to the blonde and Kisaka. Seconds later, however, an RPG hit the BuCUE's shoulder.

Sahib shouted a battlecry of anger as he shouldered two more RPG launchers and fired, both grenades hitting the BuCUE directly, and drawing its attention away from Cagalli and Kisaka. As the BuCUE attempted to charge them, Sahib's jeep evaded it for a moment.

Sahib glanced at the downed BuCUE and a third BuCUE which had largely ignored them up to this point, and thought back for an instant to the earlier complaints of his forces—forces now lying dead for meaningless, failed vengeance.

"Sahib!" called the driver, breaking the guerilla leader from his brief reverie as the combating BuCUE moved behind the jeep. Sahib shouldered his rocket launcher.

"Damn you!" he shouted.

At that instant, a shot rang out, and a seventy-six millimeter anti-armor round pierced the head of the BuCUE.

"Come on, you punks!" shouted Victor as he fired two rounds into the BuCUE's missile launcher, destroying it. "Why don't you try someone who can actually fight back!"

Watching from his jeep, Waltfeld smirked.

"Perfect," he said.

Alarms went off in the GINN's cockpit as the BuCUEs charged at it. Victor's eyes widened, and he spun around, an act which likely saved his life, as a barrage of missiles missed his machine, instead taking out only the sniper rifle.

"Attack helicopters?" question Victor. "Have they been hiding around here the whole time? Huh?"

Another alarm in the GINN's cockpit had Victor turning, pulling one of his machine's swords free and lashing out, driving the BuCUEs back. The choppers fired again, and the Talos dived out of the way, springing an assault knife from its shoulder. Victor grabbed the knife and tossed it at the lead helicopter, destroying it.

In Waltfeld's jeep, DaCosta saw something on the radar.

"One heat source approaching from above," said DaCosta. "Commander, it's coming from…"

An instant later, a green dart of energy cut across the sky, hitting the desert sand near the BuCUEs closing in on the Talos, drawing looks of shock from Sahib, Kisaka, and all the present pilots, who looked up to see the Strike and Raven on approach, the white machine riding on the back of the blue one's mobile armor form.

"_You missed Kira?_" questioned Chris in surprise.

"The heat convection must be causing it," said Kira, leaping off the Raven and inputting corrections to the OS. He fired again, this time blowing off the missile pod of one of the BuCUEs, while Chris let loose on the remaining choppers, destroying them.

"Are you okay, Mr. Cain?" asked Kira, landing next to the GINN, while Chris shifted the Raven to mobile suit form and landed next to him.

"_I'm fine,_" said Victor. "_Glad you boys could join the party. And call me Victor. Mr. Cain makes me sound like an old man. Where are Makoto and Liz?_"

A barrage of missiles streaking towards the trio interrupted Kira's replied, the three mobile suits scattering in all directions. The BuCUE earlier beheaded by the Talos leaped at Victor's GINN, the pilot intend on finishing things.

"No you don't!" said Chris, firing his shield cannon three times in rapid succession, the six high-speed fifty-two millimeter rounds tearing through the armor like tissue paper.

The four-legged machine exploded as Chris and Victor both fell back slightly, moving to defend the surviving guerillas and Kira moved forward towards the enemy.

Meanwhile, the BuCUE earlier disabled by Kisaka's attack on its joints finally regained the use of its foreleg. However, before the pilot could move to aid his surviving comrades against the Strike, the radio crackled.

"Kirkwood, let me get in and pilot that BuCUE," said Waltfeld.

"Commander?" asked DaCosta.

"Some things you can't be sure of until exchanging fire with one another," said Waltfeld.

The BuCUEs let loose with one barrage of missiles after another, the Strike, Raven, and Talos evading or shooting them down. The Talos and Raven fired back, but the BuCUEs were too fast, and dodged their shots with little apparent effort.

"Damn!" said Victor. "These BuCUEs are just too fast! I can't get a good lock on them!"

Suddenly, another barrage of missiles came in from behind, gunning for the Talos. Seeing this, Chris reacted purely on instinct, and shouldered Victor's GINN out of the way, taking the missiles with the Raven's PS armor.

"_What was that?_" asked Chris, moving the shaken Raven back to its feet.

"That fourth machine is back up," said Victor as he turned to face the BuCUE. Lifting his assault rifle, he opened up on the machine, but the quadrupedal mobile suit evaded the shots with little apparent effort. "What the…? This guys better than all the other pilots!" The BuCUE surged forward and tackled the Talos, tearing apart the chest armor with its forelegs. "Ugh! What the hell is up with this guy?! Is the Tiger at the controls?!"

Kira ducked under the tackle of one of the other BuCUEs and aimed his rifle, ready to destroy the machine. But as he pulled the trigger, missiles streaked and hit the Strike, throwing his aim off, and the beam went wide.

"Formation Delta now!" ordered Waltfeld

Obeying the orders, the other two BuCUEs formed up alongside their commander as the Raven and the damaged Talos took up flanking positions on the Strike, their own weapons raised.

"Three against one? I don't think so!" said Chris, pulling the trigger. Twin rounds streaked in, but the BuCUEs dodged them, and the left one slammed into the Raven, while turretless right one rammed the Talos, trying to continue tearing into its chest armor. The lead BuCUE attempted to tackle the Strike, but Kira angled it away with his shield. Still shaken, though, he couldn't react in time before the BuCUEs spun around and let loose a barrage of missiles, one impacting on each faceplate. While the Strike managed to block most of the others with its shield, the Raven took almost the entire payload of twelve missiles in the torso.

"Damn it!" cursed Chris, struggling to keep the Raven upright even as his power readings dived towards the red zone. "Kira, we have to get up into the air or we're toast!"

"_I know!_" said Kira as the two machines jumped into the air.

Unfortunately, their actions had been anticipated, as the BuCUEs leapt up after them, ignoring the momentarily downed Talos altogether. The Tiger shifted his BuCUE's shoulder out of the way of the Strike's Igelstellung and tore at its PS armor the same as he'd done for the Talos earlier, sending the white and blue mobile suit careening towards the ground. The Raven, meanwhile, was in even bigger trouble, as the armed BuCUE let loose two waves of missiles, most of them hitting the machine, while the last BuCUE once again tackled its target, slamming the midnight blue transforming mobile suit into the ground with the quadrupedal ground-based powerhouse landing atop it as its armor faded to grey.

"Damn, I'm out of power!" shouted Chris.

"_Don't worry, I've got your back!_" came Victor's voice as the Talos shouldered the BuCUE off the Raven and took up its swords, ready to defend the vulnerable machine in spite of the tremendous beating the gray GINN had already taken.

"Heh, there, you see?" said Waltfeld, smirking at the fallen Raven. "Even Phase Shift Armor isn't invincible. Even if you just use regular missiles, the Phase Shift loses its effectiveness after seventy-six hits. When that happens, the rifle simultaneously runs out of power. Leave those two alone, though. This last one is the toughest in the Legged Ships arsenal. Now lets go!"

"_Yes sir!_"

"Now, you weird and wonderful pilot," said Waltfeld, grinning like a maniac as the three machines charged in at the Strike. "How are you gonna get outta this mess?!"

Seeing the BuCUEs charging at him, Kira's eyes widened. He was all they had left. When Makoto had sent him and Chris out, she hadn't anticipated them facing the Tiger directly.

"I'm not…" said Kira, gritting his teeth in sudden determination as the BuCUEs fired at him.

"I'm not gonna let you win!" said Kira, the vision of a jewel-like amethyst seed rushing through his mind before shattering in a nova of light.

The Strike suddenly blazed forward at full speed, weaving through the missiles so easily that it almost seemed as though it were mocking the ZAFT pilots. Eyes widened as it dropped its shield, allowing the barrier to hit the speeding, turretless BuCUE in the face, the pilot too stunned by the Strike's sudden increase in ability to properly react.

Kira spun his machine around and fired twice. The BuCUE evaded the first shot, but literally leapt right into the path of the second one, the beam piercing its hind leg, destroying it.

"Whoa…" said Chris, blinking in utter amazement.

"Okay, now were in trouble," said Waltfeld as he and his still moving wingman raced back towards the Strike, firing missiles the whole way. The white machine flipped, kicking up sand that detonated the missiles. Waltfeld went around the sand cloud while the other pilot leapt over it. As he passed over, though, the Strike emerged below him, and fired a shot without spending even a second to aim, piercing the BuCUEs power plant and turret, destroying it.

Eyes widened further in disbelief. It was the same sort of split second marksmanship that the Strike pilot had shown previously, when he took out the _Lesseps_ cannon shells before they could hit the _Archangel_.

"Now you've taken this way to far!" said Waltfeld, charging at the seemingly oblivious Strike from behind. Cagalli tried to shout a warning, but before the words could even form in her throat, the Strike tossed away its beam rifle and drew both sabers in the blink of an eye.

A second later, Waltfeld's BuCUE limped away with its surviving companion, both machines lacking one of their legs, though Waltfeld's had also lost both wings and its head in the final engagement with the Strike.

"DaCosta, we're withdrawing!" said Waltfeld. Then, he chuckled slightly as he looked over the damage readouts on his BuCUE and looked at his surviving wingman's turretless, three-legged machine. "Now that's my kinda guy. Been awhile since I had this much fun."

The Strike stood like a lone sentry in the desert as the ZAFT forces fled the area, before Kira turned the machine to face the others. The Raven and Talos were both standing, but neither looked to be in good condition—the GINN's chest armor was almost completely shredded to pieces, and the vulnerable metallic faceplate of the Raven had been destroyed, exposing the inner components of the head. Then, the Strike's head turned to face the Desert Dawn survivors.

Victor, too, looked out at the survivors and shook his head. This is why he hated groups like the Desert Dawn. Few members of rebel groups ever truly understood the art of war. Most fought ruthlessly to kill their enemy regardless of the cost and most were passionate to the degree of blind fanaticism. And worse, they prescribed to the eye for an eye philosophy. Such people were simply fuel for the fires of war.

Kira moved the Strike next to the Desert Dawn fighters and descended on the zipline, removing his helmet and settling a glare on them.

"You trying to get yourselves killed?" he asked, somewhat coldly. "In a place like this… maybe now you've learned something from all this."

"That does it!" said Cagalli, angrily rushing forward to grab the front of Kira's pilot suit. "You heartless moron! Look!" She motioned to the still body of Ahmed.

"They all fought desperately!" said Cagalli, voice just short of shouting. "We're all fighting desperately! All so that we can protect the people and things that are so important to us!"

Kira had had enough.

_SMACK!_

Everyone stared, wide-eyed, none more so than Cagalli, as she delicately touched the cheek Kira had just slapped in an almost brutal fashion.

"Wow. He didn't strike me as the type to hit a girl," said Victor. "Well, someone needed to slap some sense into her anyway."

"_Sure, but I never thought it would happen so literally,_" said Chris.

"What the hell can you protect when your feelings are the only weapons you've got?!" demanded Kira loudly. Cagalli remained silent, merely staring at him with wide eyes that held an odd spark of fear in them—a fear Kira recognized instantly.

"That's what a real battle is like," he said. "Maybe now that you've felt that fear of real battle, you'll think before you act next time."

Shrinking back slightly, Cagalli nodded her head almost meekly, while Kira turned around and returned to the Strike.

Once inside, he activated his radio—his machine was the only one with enough power to cut through the N-jammer interference.

"Kira here," he said. "_Archangel_, we could use a pickup. The Raven's out of power, and the Talos took a heavy beating as well."

"_Understood,_" said Mir. "_I'll forward that to Makoto and Liz._"

"Thanks."

* * *

**Author's Note: Well, I hope everyone enjoyed that. Man, Chris is really getting pounded on, isn't he? I need to fix that, which shouldn't be a big problem from here on out. I apologize to Akatsuki Leader13 and all of Chris Dante's fans for the oversized beatings he keeps recieving. He will perform better in future engagements, I promise.**

**Also, part of the reason I ended the chapter here was because I have a question in regards to Makoto: should she accompany Kira and Cagalli to Banadiya, or stay with the _Archangel_?**

**Both ideas have their own merits, though in general, one of them is more in keeping with the story than the other. On the one hand, having her stay on the _Archangel_ would mean she didn't steal any from scenes with Kira and Cagalli, which makes sense. It would also present one of the final times I will have Chris beat up for simple comic amusement, as he and Makoto spar as a demonstration to Flay and several others who are interested in learning better personal combat skills. The problem, for Chris anyway, is that for Makoto, there is no such thing as "below the belt".**

**On the other hand, in story, it makes more sense for her to go to Banadiya. I've presented her with a lot of stress, and it would make sense for the senior officers and her friends to think getting away from it all for awhile and taking a mild "shopping break/supply run" in Banadiya would be good for her. Were that to happen, I'd have Waltfeld specifically name her as the pilot of the Dauntless (how he identifies her as such will be revealed should she go), as well as have her fight a few of the Blue Cosmos S.O.B.s--along with getting a mess made out of her, prompting Andy to send her off with Aisha alongside Cagalli.**

**Please, let me know what you think. Personally, I'm in favor of her going with them, since that would be more consistent with the story so far, fitting past events better than staying would, much as I would love to see Makoto get the chance to really beat on Chris.**

**His final beating recieved personally, rather than in a mobile suit, will be upon reaching Orb, and that isn't a certainty (if he does recieve a beating, so will several members of the bridge crew as well).**

**Anyways, please leave a review!  
**


	13. Phase 12: Fangs of the Enemy

**Well, a decision was finally made. I got a total of ten official votes, one "vote" I couldn't go on, and an "unofficial" vote from a friend over the phone. Of the official votes, the overall results came to:**

**Makoto goes to Banadiya: 5  
Makoto stays on the _Archangel_: 4  
Undecided/Neutral: 1**

**The final votes was not left in a review, but rather, sent to me by someone who'd reviewed, but not left a vote, Morbious20. Counting the unofficial vote from my friend, a total of six votes went for Makoto going to Banadiya. Discounting the Dauntless part of the other discounted vote, a total of seven people said I should send her to Banadiya. Though Banadiya only just barely won officially, all votes total, Banadiya won by a fair amount. I apologize in advance to all my readers who didn't want to see her go to Banadiya--I sincerely hope that I managed to write it well enough that she doesn't detract/steal from the Kira, Cagalli, and Waltfeld scenes too much. While it can be said the Victor Cain (a.k.a. John Alaric) stole quite a bit from the final moments at the ZAFT HQ in the original _Gundam SEED: A Retelling_, he was also a less prominent character overall, it served to reveal his identity, and he was newly introduced--unlike say, Chris, who'd already taken some from Kira (such as returning Lacus to ZAFT for the sake of his discovery of Zane and its contributions to his character). I apologize if anyone finds that offensive, I merely stating it as fact--a fact I approve of, overall, as proven by the fact that I didn't change it here.**

**Anyways, to help keep me from messing up, I asked Akatsuki Leader13 to review this chapter ahead of time. I took some comments to heart, and changed the final scene a little. I hope everyone enjoys this, and I once again apologize to those who didn't want Makoto to go to Banadiya. And for any of my readers who aren't already aware, Akatsuki Leader13 now has the first chapter of _Gundam SEED Destiny: A Retelling_, the sequel to _Gundam SEED: A Retelling_, posted (though my last inquiry regarding progress is that he's having a little difficulty with the battles, so I ask that everyone be patient with him, like everyone's been patient with me!).**

**Also, before I forget, I wanted to comment on this: did anyone notice something about Kira's activation of the SEED in the last chapter? For those who have paid close attention to the SEED's activation and power/abilities in the anime proper, the description emphasizes a slight, but significant change from the canon. Here's a hint: it has to do with the state of the two surviving BuCUEs when they retreated from the battle in comparison to their state in the canon.  
**

* * *

Phase Twelve: Fangs of the Enemy

February 19th, C.E. 71

* * *

Desert Dawn Base

"Banadiya?" questioned Makoto. "You're planning a mission straight into the heart of the Tiger's stomping grounds?"

"That's correct," said Natarle. "No matter how you look at it, we're all in desperate need of supplies. The mission is a two-part one. Ensign Neumann and I will accompany the resistance fighters to meet with an arms dealer. You and Ensign Yamato are to act as bodyguards for Miss Cagalli."

"Doing what, exactly?" asked Makoto.

"Nothing too terribly important," admitted Natarle. "I believe that, for the most part, it's to scout around and explore the city, as well as shopping for a few conveniences that we don't actually need. Just a small list of requests from the crew."

Makoto looked at Natarle quizzically.

"Wouldn't Kira be sufficient for this?" she asked. "Shouldn't I be going on the supply run with you and Ensign Neumann?" Natarle shook her head.

"No," she said, voice surprisingly gentle. "When we were discussing it, we all decided that you should accompany them on what we considered the easier task. It's not that we doubt your ability to help us. Truth be told, the reason your on this mission is more about forcing you to take a break. We all felt that you've been too stressed lately, and you're not helping yourself by sticking around here and working all day."

"Isn't that my job?" asked Makoto, somewhat irritably.

"The more important job for you is to be capable, and that means relaxing every once and awhile," said Natarle. "Your face is still an unknown, as is Kira's, and Cagalli's hardly all that prominent. There's no chance of you being recognized by anyone, so it'll be a good chance to simply relax, if only for a little while."

"So I take it the fact that Liz and Chris aren't going is because they haven't been as 'stressed' as I am lately?"

Natarle nodded, and Makoto sighed slightly in defeat.

"Alright," she said. "Maybe your right. I think Aunt Serenity would kill me if I didn't relax anyways."

* * *

Banadiya

The Next Day

A pair of jeeps came to a stop amid the crowded marketplace, and three teenagers stepped out of the second one.

"We'll see you in exactly four hours," said Cagalli.

"Be extremely careful," said Kisaka.

"I hear you," said Cagalli. "Same goes for you. Al Jairi is one guy we can't let our guard down against, right?"

"Good luck, Makoto, Kira," said Natarle. "I'm… ah… counting on you. And don't forget too relax, Makoto. You're too tense."

"I won't, mom," said Makoto sarcastically, enjoying the look on Natarle's face as the jeeps drove off.

As the jeeps drove off, Cagalli walked over to the two Earth Forces pilots, directing her attention to Kira.

"Hey, what's with the stunned look on your face?" she asked. "You are supposed to be my bodyguards, aren't you?"

"You sure this is where the Desert Tiger's headquarters are?" asked Kira. "It all looks pretty… lively, and untroubled."

"I have to agree," said Makoto. Despite the desert living conditions, the liveliness reminded her of her home—her real home, before she'd moved to Heliopolis.

"Mm… come with me," said Cagalli, leading the two elsewhere. A moment later, they arrived at a massive crater in the middle of the city.

"It may look peaceful, but appearances can be deceiving," said Cagalli. "And there you have it." She motioned to a massive object in the distance, visible over the three to five story buildings. The land battleship _Lesseps_. "That is the real ruler of this city. Anyone who rebels is mercilessly dealt with. This place belongs to ZAFT. To the Desert Tiger."

As Kira and Makoto stared in a mixture of horror and curiosity at the _Lesseps_,a man wearing a hat and sunglasses watched them unnoticed from a table a short distance away, his hidden eyes thoroughly assessing all three of them.

* * *

Aboard the _Archangel_

Liz sighed slightly, running through the adaptation of the Skygrasper simulation. It hadn't been difficult to adapt the program to employ the Guardian's mobile armor form in place of the original fighter, so she was using that to get better at using her machine in that form.

However, things were feeling a little dull for her right now. She supposed she just wasn't used to not having Makoto, Kira, and Cagalli around. Things certainly seemed less lively.

Being around Kira and Cagalli had been particularly interesting, as after the last battle with the Tiger, Cagalli had been quite obviously terrified of Kira. However, she'd been quick to get back to her old, loudmouth self, and Liz was at least somewhat glad the blonde was gone.

Too bad she'd taken Liz's best friend with her.

"You're doing pretty good Liz," said Johanna. "Well, I suppose if the Guardian is ever out of commission, we can always send you out in the spare Skygrasper."

Liz giggled slightly. "Unlike Chris, I'm not gonna make a habit of bringing my machine back as glorified scrap metal," she said. Johanna laughed.

"Yes, he has made a habit of that, hasn't he?" replied Johanna lightly.

"Maybe we should have him practice in the simulator?" suggested Liz.

"Okay, I think that's enough jokes at Chris's expense," said Johanna. "He's really been getting a beating, both in and out of the Raven. I think you ought to layoff on the whole 'punching bag' thing a little."

"Can Flay continue to beat on him?"

"If she gets good enough to do that and he volunteers to continue, I don't see why not."

"Well, that seems more likely than Victor getting to that sort of state," said Liz with a frown. "Come to think of it, has he recovered from his last 'sparring match' with Makoto?"

Johanna nodded. "I think that's why she was sent out there today," she said. "Everyone's been saying that she's been too stressed lately. She's shouldering more responsibility than she should, and it's a mistake on her part."

"Well, hopefully this chance to relax will allow her to realize that," said Liz, climbing out of Guardian's cockpit and stretching. "I think I'm gonna go take a quick bath. With the water restriction were facing right now, it's been too long since I cleaned up properly."

* * *

Elsewhere

"Good Flay," said Chris. "You're definitely improving."

It was true. Flay had improved considerably since he had started teaching her. He suspected that she was practicing on her own, but he couldn't complain. It was working: she had become less and less withdrawn and more like her old self, though her skills were still no match for Chris or Makoto, their Coordinator-enhanced abilities not withstanding.

Still, he was quite happy with the improvements to Flay's attitude, and much happier about it than the improvement in her skills. He'd personally born witness to what happened to people that let their grief and anger consume them, both in himself and in Zane. It was never a pretty sight, and sometimes, it was even worse than others, as Zane had demonstrated back in orbit when he tried to shoot down the civilian shuttle.

"Raise your arm a little more," he said, grabbing her arm and moving it into the proper position. "And spread your legs apart a bit more."

Flay suddenly tripped and fell on him, knocking the two of them to the ground, Flay on top of him, their faces practically touching. Both teens blushed.

"Ah… I think that's enough for today," said Chris. "Are you okay?"

"Yes… I'm fine," she answered, getting off of him.

Chris felt relieved that she was off of him, though in truth, this was because, at the same time, he felt disappointed.

A stray though was banging itself against his head as he sat up.

_Admit it. You're falling for her._

_No_, Chris answered himself. Flay was Sai's girlfriend. Hell, they were arranged to be married. That put Flay in the category of look, but don't touch. He wasn't the type to break up a relationship for his own selfish desires.

But still…

"Chris? Hello? Can you hear me?" questioned Flay.

"Huh? Oh, sorry," said Chris, standing up. "I kind of zoned out there for a moment."

They were both silent for a moment, as Flay handed him a bottle of water.

"Why did you decide to help me?" asked Flay suddenly, surprising Chris.

"Why?" he asked. "Well… I guess because you remind me of myself, after the Bloody Valentine." Chris sat down on the bench, Flay taking the seat next to him. "All I could think of is how my home and just about everyone I cared about was gone. That pain and sorrow ate away at me. I wanted… needed, to get rid of that pain. No matter what it took. And, in my desperation, I took it out on people that had nothing to do with the Bloody Valentine. And, well, I believe that you already know what happened next. I figured that I should try and stop you from going down that path."

"… thank you," said Flay, smiling gently.

Neither realized that they were holding hands.

* * *

Banadiya

An Hour and a Half Later

Kira sighed as he set the bags of supplies down on the ground and sat down at the table, throwing a half-glare at his friend turned superior officer as she smiled at him. The two girls had forced him to carry _everything_.

"Well, I think that's all that we needed," said Cagalli mildly, before frowning in annoyance at a sheet of paper. "Honestly, though, the things that Flay girl asked us to see if we could get are ridiculous."

"She realized they were," said Makoto, looking sympathetically at Kira. "That's why she merely asked us to see if we could get them. She's been having more trouble adapting to being a soldier than the rest of us, right Kira?"

"Makoto's right," said Kira, sitting up slightly. "These ordeals have been harder on Flay than any of the rest of us. Go easy on her."

"Okay, fine, but still…" said Cagalli.

"Here you are," said the waiter, placing three trays carefully balanced on his arm in front of them. Kira looked at them.

"What are these?" he asked.

"Doner kebabs," said Cagalli and Makoto simultaneously before glancing at each other. Cagalli shook her head and continued.

"They're delicious," she said. "Especially with this chili sauce." As she spoke, she picked up the said chili sauce.

"Now wait just a minute," said a man in a red and yellow shirt suddenly, grabbing another bottle. "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. Now, how could you stoop to put chili sauce on your kebabs? Now this yogurt sauce, that's the proper thing to add to such a dish."

Cagalli glared angrily at the man, while Makoto just shook her head in mild exasperation.

"Or rather than saying it's the proper thing, how should I put it?" continued the man. "Hmm… right! Not adding yogurt sauce to this dish is considered a form of sacrilege against doner kebabs."

"You got a screw loose or something?" demanded Cagalli before pointedly and angrily squirting chili sauce on her kebab, to the horror of the older man. "Who invited you anyway?" said Cagalli, nearly slamming the bottle of chili sauce on the table. "You've got no right to walk up to strangers and tell them how to eat their food." She wrapped up the kebab and took a bite out of it cheerfully.

The man looked away as he gasped in growing horror, using his hand to hide Cagalli eating the kebab from his eyes.

"What a terrible waste," he said.

"Delicious!" said Cagalli, a wide grin adorning her features. Kira and Makoto watched the byplay, sharing a look that spoke volumes of how amused and curious they were about the fanaticism these two displayed regarding their food.

"Here, you two as well," said Cagalli, motioning the chili sauce at them. "Chili sauce and doner kebabs were made for each other.

"Hey, now wait a moment, don't force your bad habits on these two," said the man. Makoto shook her head as the two struggled to get their favored sauce on Kira's plate—he was closer to the man, after all.

"What are you doing?" demanded Cagalli, trying to push the yogurt sauce out of the way. "Just keep your nose out of this!"

"Take a look at what you're doing! Ah, damn it all!" said the man, reaching forward and squirting the yogurt sauce on Kira's kebab… at the same time Cagalli squirted the chili sauce on it. Kira's expression fell at the somewhat unpleasant sight of the two sauces on his dish.

"Oh, it's not as bad as it looks Kira," said Makoto, amusement clearly dancing in her emerald eyes as she took a bite out of her kebab. The other three stared at her, then glanced over the table, obviously noticing that there weren't any other sauces around. "I like them plain."

The others just stared at her for a moment before the man shook his head and sat down at the table opposite the redhead, looking over to Kira.

"Well, I'm sorry about that," he said honestly, as Kira wrapped up the kebab and took a bite out of it.

"Actually, Makoto's right," said Kira. "A combination of the two isn't half bad."

The man chuckled, glancing over at the bags by Kira's seat.

"Well, just look at the shopping you guys did," he said. "So, are you planning to throw a party?"

Cagalli glared at the man. She'd already decided she didn't like him, merely on the basis that he preferred yogurt sauce to chili sauce on the kebabs. Of course, a small part of her didn't like Makoto either, on the basis of preferring nothing to chili sauce.

"Keep your trap shut," she said. "It's really none of your business. First thing I wanna know is who are you? You sit at our table and start lecturing us about stupid stuff?"

"You mean there isn't gonna be a party?" asked the man, sounding like a kid learning that Santa Claus wasn't real.

However, nobody found any mirth in his words. Cagalli was too angry with him… and Kira, Makoto, and the man in question heard a distinct whistling sound that all three were familiar with.

"Hit the dirt!" shouted the man, kicking the table up suddenly, Kira jumping forward to push Cagalli down, while Makoto ducked, with the end result of both girls getting covered in chili and yogurt sauce from the suddenly spilled bottles and the kebabs.

The rocket flew past them and hit the restaurant window.

A group of men charged out from the shadows of the surrounding buildings, guns blazing.

"Look at me, are you three all right?" asked the man as he pulled an SMG out of a holster concealed beneath his shirt.

"Wha… what exactly is going on here?" asked Cagalli.

"Die Coordinator, you lousy rotten space invader!" shouted one of the assailants.

"For the preservation of our blue and pure world!" shouted another. Cagalli's eyes narrowed.

"Those guys are Blue Cosmos," she said. Makoto's own eyes narrowed in obvious anger.

The man stood up and fired several rounds from his gun, killing one of the terrorists.

"Go ahead! Eliminate them all now!" shouted the man as others began firing on the terrorists. As one man was shot, his gun fell to the ground near Kira and Cagalli. Kira spotted it, and then, as the man stood, he saw another terrorist hiding behind the wall, assault rifle held at the ready. Makoto, meanwhile, saw two of the men inside the restaurant standing near the entrance hands in their pockets.

As the man with the assault rifle stepped out of the alleyway, Kira stepped out from the table, grabbing the fallen gun, and sending it flying at the terrorist, knocking his gun aside before delivering a powerful kick to the chin.

As he did so, the man in the hat smirked slightly.

Makoto sprung up, leg lashing out at the arm of a man coming out of the restaurant, knocking the knife from his hand, before jumping into the air, spinning slightly, providing momentum for a vicious kick to the head.

As the other terrorist tried to stab her, Makoto ducked the attack, grabbed his arm, and flipped him over her shoulder, grabbing the knife from his hand. She dropped to the ground, tossing the knife, as one of the last terrorists fired at her. He dodged the knife, but Kira suddenly appeared and punched the man in the face.

"Thanks Kira," said Makoto, gripping her left shoulder. Taking the hand away, she saw that her shirt was torn, one bullet just grazing her skin. She was lucky that was all she'd received. "Guess I've been letting myself get rusty."

"You okay?" asked Cagalli. Makoto smiled and nodded.

"Yeah… I'll be fine," she said, standing up with the help of her two friends.

Two gunshots rang out, and the three looked over to see the men Kira had knocked down with bullet wounds in their heads. Kira looked away, as another shot finished the man Makoto had thrown.

Seeing that, Cagalli glanced at Kira.

"What was that?" she asked. "Don't you even know what a gun is supposed to be used for?" The other two glared slightly at her and she glanced away. "Well… whatever the case."

It was then that a ZAFT soldier ran up to the man the three had been talking too.

"Commander!" he called. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm doing just fine, actually," he said as the teenagers stared in surprise. He looked at Kira. "It's all thanks to that guy." He reached up and removed his hat and sunglasses to reveal his face as he chuckled at their dumbstruck expressions.

"You mean we were talking with Andrew Waltfeld?" asked Cagalli. "The Desert Tiger… it's him."

Waltfeld walked over towards them. "Well my boy," he said. "You saved my life." He smiled at them. "How can I thank you?"

* * *

Andrew Waltfeld's Headquarters

Twenty Minutes Later

The teenagers shifted uncomfortably as the cars pulled up to the ZAFT HQ in Banadiya, none of them feeling particularly safe at the moment.

"Please, come with me," said Waltfeld as he stepped out of the jeep.

"Uh, no, we really have to get going," said Kira.

"That's silly," said Waltfeld. "Not only did I interrupt your meal and have you save me, but just look at the girls! They've got sauce all over their hair and clothes. I couldn't allow you to go home like this, okay? It just wouldn't feel right."

Kira looked down, realizing there was no way for them to get out of this.

"Right this way please," said a soldier as they walked into the mansion to see a woman with long, blue-black hair and wearing a blue dress standing in the hallway outside an open room.

"Are these the girls you were talking about Andy?" she asked.

"Yeah," came Waltfeld's voice from the open room. "Do what you can to clean them up. They managed to get chili and yogurt sauce and even some tea all over them."

The woman walked down the hall towards them.

"Oh my," she said. "You were having kebabs, weren't you?" She leaned forward to look more closely at first Cagalli, then Makoto. "Here, come with me," she said, stepping forward and putting an arm around Cagalli's shoulders as the soldiers closed the mansion door. She then reached out, putting a hand on the—in her opinion—less stubborn Makoto's shoulder, and led the two girls down the hall.

"Uh, hey, Cagalli, Makoto," said Kira, moving to follow.

"Don't you worry," said the woman, smiling back at him. "We'll be done in no time. Please be patient and wait up here with Andy."

Kira stopped.

"Hey, over here!" came Waltfeld's voice from the room next to Kira, the same one the woman had been standing next too.

Kira glanced behind him before walking into the room, looking curiously at Waltfeld as he made some coffee.

"I have great confidence that the coffee I prepare is first rate," he said, looking back at Kira as he poured two cups of coffee. "Come on, have a seat, make yourself at home."

Kira looked around the room curiously. He'd already ruled out the possibility of escape—they'd just have to trust that Waltfeld would let them go. That was when he spotted it. A small, laptop-sized fossil replica sitting on the fireplace.

"Evidence 01," said Waltfeld, bringing Kira a cup of coffee. "You ever see the real McCoy?"

"No," admitted Kira.

"I have no idea why they call this thing a whalestone," said Waltfeld. "Does that look like a whale to you?"

"I really can't say for certain," said Kira.

"Well if you ask me, those look like wings," said Waltfeld. "And whales don't normally come with wings, now do they?"

"No," admitted Kira. "But they brought this back from space as proof of extraterrestrial life."

"The point I'm trying to make is, why is this figure assumed to be that of a whale's?" said Waltfeld.

"Well, then, what would you call it?" asked Kira.

"I have to admit, nothing in particular comes to mind," said Waltfeld, sipping his coffee. "But forget that. Let's move on to more pressing matter. Tell me, what do you think of this coffee?" Kira looked at Waltfeld, and for a second, he could've sworn Waltfeld's form blurred with that of Victor's, so alike were the mindsets of the two men. "Or have you not developed an appreciation for it yet?"

Kira took a sip of his coffee. It had an unusual taste to it, but not an unpleasant one. Simply unusual. It reminded him of the cup Victor gave him the other day.

Were those two related or something?

* * *

Meanwhile

Aisha stood in front of a large bed, contemplating the three dresses laid out before her. She'd need to decide which of them would look best on each of the two girls currently cleaning up in the bathroom.

So many possibilities… what if she showed the two of them together? Which dresses would work best in combination with each other? One of them was blue, another green, and the third was red. In turn, one of the girls had emerald eyes and red hair, while another had amber eyes and blonde hair. Both of them, beneath their tomboy exteriors, were quite stunning, in Aisha's opinion.

How to get it all to work together though…

* * *

Aboard the _Archangel_

"What did you say?" asked Murrue. "Kira, Makoto, and Cagalli are missing?"

"_That's right,_" said Kisaka. "_A few of us have stayed behind to search for them. It seems there was a Blue Cosmos attack in the city earlier, and we're looking into that. But so far… nothing._"

Listening from just outside the bridge, Liz carefully controlled her breathing, clutching at her chest.

"Makoto…" she whispered in concern.

* * *

ZAFT Banadiya Headquarters

A Short While Later

"Andy," said Aisha, knocking on the door.

"Come on in," replied Waltfeld, smirking suddenly at the thought of what Aisha had done to the two girls.

The door opened and Aisha entered, dragging along a very nervous Cagalli, her hair beautifully done up, and clad in a gorgeous, shoulderless dress, with a dark green top and light green long skirt. Her movements also made it apparent that she was wearing high heels.

"You're a… a girl," muttered Kira, staring in open shock. Cagalli's nervous expression suddenly turned to anger as she growled.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" she demanded.

"No, uh… I meant that this reminded me again that you're a girl," said Kira, before mentally slapping himself for putting his foot in his mouth again.

"That's the same thing, jackass!" said Cagalli.

The two adults laughed at the teens, embarrassing them, before Andy turned his attention to Aisha.

"Hey, where's the other girl?" he asked, sounding disappointed. Aisha sighed.

"Turns out that she's a lot more stubborn than her," said Aisha, pointing to Cagalli. "Which, really, is a scary thought."

"Well, see what you can do," said Andy, sitting back down.

About two minutes later, Aisha returned, dragging a clearly embarrassed Makoto with her. Cagalli had not been privy to Makoto's dressing, and stared with the same shock as Kira—or perhaps more so, as Makoto's image was overlaid with that of another redhead she knew in her own mind.

Unlike Cagalli, Makoto's hair hadn't been done up atop her hair, but rather, had been tied into a braid of the same sort she used when donning her pilot suit. Aisha had chosen a long, shoulderless blue dress for her, with light, blue-white frills running diagonally up the dress from her left ankle to her upper right hip. Like Cagalli, she seemed to be struggling with the high heels, which may have been the real source of her embarrassment, as Kira knew the girl prided herself on her ability to move.

"Makoto, you…" said Kira. Unconsciously, Cagalli leaned eagerly forward, anticipating Kira directing the same line towards Makoto that he'd used on her. "You look great."

Cagalli resisted the urge to groan, while Makoto shook her head and eyed Kira.

"My threat from back when Liz walked in on me is still in effect," she said, trying to sound cold, but failing miserably in her embarrassment. This time, Kira joined in on Waltfeld and Aisha's laughter.

"Well now then," said Waltfeld as Aisha left and Makoto took a seat in the chair next to the table, to the left of the couch Kira and Cagalli sat on. "Coffee?"

Makoto shook her head. Now that she was off her feet, she seemed a little less embarrassed.

"No, thank you," she said. "I prefer tea. Preferably green, with nothing added." Waltfeld looked at her incredulously.

"Do you add _anything_ to the stuff you eat and drink?" he asked. Makoto frowned.

"I don't think so," she said.

"And how can you prefer tea over coffee?!"

"I simply do," said Makoto. "I knew a few people who drank too much coffee. It wasn't a pretty picture, so that just encourages me more."

"Great," muttered Waltfeld, adding something under his breath that even the other two Coordinators didn't quite catch, but sounded distinctly like "heathen".

"Ah well," said Waltfeld, his attitude doing an instant one-eighty as he eyed the two girls speculatively. Makoto now understood what Victor meant about Waltfeld being messed up in the head.

"Those dresses look quite good on you two," said Waltfeld. "From the looks of things, I'd say that you're quite accustomed to wearing such fine clothes."

"Say whatever you want," replied Cagalli rudely while taking a sip of coffee.

"Only when I couldn't get away with street clothes," admitted Makoto, acting polite in contrast to Cagalli's blatant rudeness.

"The perfect little lady until she speaks," said Waltfeld, his words directed at Kira and Makoto while motioning towards Cagalli.

"Well it's just as hard for me to believe that you're the Desert Tiger," said Cagalli. "Why are you spending your time dressing people up? Is that how you get your kicks, Waltfeld?"

"Aisha was the one that picked out those dresses," said Waltfeld, a slight smirk adorning his features. "What do you mean by getting my kicks?"

"Running around the city in a disguise while striking up random, annoying conversations with people," said Cagalli. "Or how about having residents evacuate their town before you burn it down?!"

Waltfeld's smirk grew ever so slightly as the other two stared pointedly at Cagalli, trying to get her to see the mistake she was about to make—or rather, was in the process of making.

"What lovely eyes," commented Waltfeld. "There's something sincere about them."

"Don't toy with me!" shouted Cagalli, slamming her open palms onto the table.

"Are you one of those people who'd rather be dead?" asked Waltfeld. He then turned to look at his fellow Coordinators.

"And how about you?" he asked them, though his attention seemed more heavily focused on Kira. "What do you think of all this? What do you think needs to be done to end this war? Give me your opinions as mobile suit pilots!"

"Hey! How'd you know about that?" demanded Cagalli, only to stop short as Waltfeld laughed, and she finally realized her mistake.

"Being too sincere can also be a liability," said Waltfeld as he stood up and walked towards his desk, while Kira grabbed Cagalli and pushed her behind his back, moving backwards towards the wall. Makoto, meanwhile, slipped the high heels off and stood up as well.

"Unlike in sports, the game of war has no rules," said Waltfeld, opening a drawer in the desk by the window. "There's no set time limit and no points awarded. So how do you determine the winners and the losers? At what point do we put an end to it?"

"At what point?" echoed Kira uncertainly.

Waltfeld suddenly pulled out a gun and took aim at Kira, surprising all three of them, who'd thought he would aim at Makoto first. "When every single one of your enemies has been destroyed? Perhaps then."

Kira's and Makoto's eyes scanned the room, searching for something to get them out of this situation.

"I wouldn't try anything here," said Waltfeld pointedly. "Even if you both have berserker capabilities, which I doubt, you still wouldn't be able to escape from here."

"Berserker?" questioned Kira quietly.

"Everyone here is a Coordinator, just like you two," said Waltfeld. Cagalli gasped.

"What?" she asked. "You mean… you mean you two are…"

"I've seen you fight on two separate occasions," said Waltfeld before turning his eyes to Makoto. "And I could never forget the way you fought." His eyes returned to Kira. "You're the pilot of the Strike, I hope?"

"Yes," confirmed Kira, shifting slightly.

"I thought so," said Waltfeld. "You're quite skilled. Take your adjustments to surface pressure and heat parameters in the heat of battle. I'd say amongst us Coordinator, you'd be a first-rate specimen. While all four of you are good, you're especially gifted. I'd been hoping you were the Strike pilot from the beginning—I've been looking forward to the chance to see you face-to-face. Of course, let's not forget your friends though."

Waltfeld's gun turned to point at Makoto.

"You move the same way you fight," he said. "It's a bit more sluggish in your mobile suit, but there's no doubt about it. It's no wonder so many others think you're the most dangerous. You've adapted your own movements to your piloting, mimicking them on an enormous scale. Still, you're hardly the highest-priority target, even if most are blind to it." The gun again pointed Kira's way.

"So then, four highly-gifted Coordinators, fighting as the pilots of the Earth Forces first mobile suits," said Waltfeld. "I have no idea why you decided to betray your own kind, but so long as you pilot those machines, you and I are destined to be sworn enemies, even if we are all Coordinators."

Then, Waltfeld smiled and lowered the gun.

"It almost makes you wonder if there's no other choice then for us to destroy each other," he said. To the questioning looks of the three teens, Waltfeld merely shrugged. "The fact is, you saved my life today," he said, directing the words to Kira. "And this time, we aren't meeting on the battlefield." He returned the gun to the drawer and pushed an intercom button. The door opened almost immediately, and Aisha stepped through.

"You're free to go," said Waltfeld. "I enjoyed talking with you. Although I can't say whether it was beneficial or not."

As Aisha led the three out—Makoto retrieving the high heels, uncomfortable though she was in them—Waltfeld spoke up one final time.

"I'll see you on the battlefield," he said. It was clear to all of them just who the words were directed at.

"Yeah…" said Kira softly.

A few minutes later, Aisha returned, and Waltfeld watched DaCosta drive the three teens back out into the city.

"So, what did you think?" asked Waltfeld.

"They're interesting," said Aisha. "I liked that girl—Makoto, right? But that boy's the one your interested in. It'll be hard for you, won't it? I can tell. You're really fond of him already."

Waltfeld glanced back at her, smirking slightly. "Think they'd ever surrender?"

"Not a chance."

* * *

**Author's Note: While a part of me wanted to have Waltfeld comment on knowing the identity of Makoto's teacher--note, _identity_, he doesn't really know the man--I decided not to have it. Anyways, I hope everyone enjoyed. The whole thing about Makoto drinking tea instead of coffee, and without anything added to it, along with her preference for her kebabs to be "plain" is something I've had in mind pretty much since I first concieved her. It hasn't really been shown much, but she's fairly traditional with her eating habits.**

**We also get another teasing bit of information regarding her history, having now recieved the name of her aunt! And lucky us: we're now only a few chapters away from finally discovering just "what the hell is up" with her. ^_^ I hope everyone will enjoy that. Those chapters in which we learn about her past will also include a hint regarding the identity of a mobile suit that will appear later on in this story. Look forward to it all!**

**Please leave a review! Ja ne!  
**


	14. Phase 13: Beyonds the Clouds of Sand

**I know I should probably be getting to work on _The White Queen_, but I've been a little fixated on _SEED Dauntless_ lately. I apologize. I just really wanted to get this one out.**

**Unfortunately, I was a little disappointed with this chapter. It was short, and I never seem to be able to get the final moment's of Kira's battle with Andy _just _right (as I noted in the corresponding chapter of _The White Queen_). Well, hopefully, everyone enjoys this chapter.**

**Though it was somewhat unintentional, this chapter has a feel of focusing rather heavily on Makoto and Erik. While everyone is fairly prominent and all, it feels to be like they have a lot of focus. Initially, I was setting out to show more of Erik--we know a lot about Makoto already, but virtually nothing of her "nemesis". I decided to change that a little, and give us a look at Erik. For those who pay attention, you can begin to understand Erik a little better.  
**

* * *

Phase Thirteen: Beyond the Clouds of Sand

February 28th, C.E. 71

* * *

_Lesseps_ Mobile Suit Hanger

"You're not like your teammates, are you?" came Waltfeld's voice. Erik looked up from his work on the Resolute and quickly saluted.

"Commander Waltfeld," he acknowledged. "What do you mean?"

"Well, those other two are hotheaded and cocky—or arrogant in the case of Joule," said Waltfeld, returning the salute. "You however… you seem to have thought out what's going to happen. Some might even say you're overthinking things. I'm curious as to why you do that, and what it is you see."

Erik paused in his typing.

"I have thought it out," he admitted. "And I do overthink—those times that I can." He sighed. "Commander, I didn't join ZAFT seeking revenge for Junius Seven, or because I believed in some noble cause. I joined because I wanted to die for something greater than myself. I joined with the intent to die." Waltfeld blinked.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because I was already contemplating suicide," said Erik bluntly. "I have nothing to live for, so I decided to give myself something to die for as a soldier of ZAFT."

"I see," said Waltfeld, frowning. "Still, don't you think you'd be better off trying to find something to live for?"

Erik chuckled. "Commander, the only thing I've found worth living for is to repay that girl for killing her parents right in front of her eyes," he said. "The only thing I can give her though is my life—and to make sure she doesn't lose her own, I'm gonna make her fight for it."

Waltfeld was quiet, remembering the reports on the battles between the Le Creuset Team and the Legged Ship.

"You wouldn't mean the Dauntless pilot, would you?" he asked.

"Yes," said Erik. "I gunned down her parents right in front of her eyes. And, unintentional though it may have been, she's actually given me something that I wanted in return. My thanks and apology will be to die, while doing my best to give her the ability she needs to survive this war."

"What, no concern she'll turn the tide?"

"She's only one person," said Erik. "It's not like the Earth Forces won't be getting their mobile suit data one way or the other. They probably already have it." Erik looked at Waltfeld curiously. "What made you so certain it was the pilot of the Dauntless?"

"The reports said you've fought with her a lot," said Waltfeld.

"And how'd you know it was a 'her'?"

"I met her about a week ago," admitted Waltfeld. Erik suddenly leaned forward slightly, intrigued.

"You did?" he asked. "Did she give you a name? Every time I tried to get it out of her, she refused."

"Makoto," answered Waltfeld. "Well, our estimated time to contact is in the next hour or so. Be ready, and good luck with your objectives out there." The two saluted, and Waltfeld walked away, shaking his head.

"That guy… wonder what his problem is?"

* * *

_Archangel_ Mess Hall

An Hour Later

Kira poked his food with his fork with a rather distinct lack of enthusiasm. Sitting next to him was Mu, eating his own lunch. Leaning on the wall behind them was Victor, drinking his fifth cup of coffee since the _Archangel_ left the Desert Dawn base. Sitting across from them were Chris and Flay, eating their own lunches. Makoto sat a little ways to Kira's right, Liz sitting opposite her, with Liz asking the same question regarding Makoto's new dress that she'd been trying to get answered for a week. The redhead had made a point of forgetting the existence of anyone who asked questions about Waltfeld's gift.

"Eat up kid," said Mu, putting a doner kebab on his tray. "Come on. We're going into a battle. You need to eat to keep your strength up."

"I know," said Kira, looking at the kebab somewhat uncertainly.

"I love these things," said Mu, taking a bite out of his own kebab before picking up a white sauce bottle and holding it out to Kira. "Try this. It tastes great with yogurt sauce."

Kira stiffened slightly, Mu's words reminding him of the meeting a week ago. Memories of Andrew Waltfeld filled Kira's head. He'd never imagined the Desert Tiger would be so… well, normal. Had they met in different circumstances, they easily could have become friends.

"What's the matter?" asked Mu.

"It's just… the Tiger said the same thing," replied Kira. "That it tastes great with yogurt sauce."

"Huh… you don't say," said Mu. "That man knows his food. But… I tell ya, it's a lot easier when you don't know your enemy personally. Just forget him."

Kira and Chris both winced slightly. After all, the same held true with both Atrhun and Zane.

"He's not a machine," said Victor with a slight chuckle. "Telling him to forget about Andy is pointless."

"Then what would you recommend?" asked Mu.

"To mentally prepare himself to fight and defeat Waltfeld," said Victor. "Telling him to do otherwise is pointless. The only way we can win here is to defeat the Tiger, but we can't try to send someone else to do it either—the only people who could beat him at this point are Kira and Makoto."

"I wouldn't say that," said Makoto. "I may have been put in charge, but Kira's a much better pilot. Besides, it was obvious back at Banadiya that Kira's the one who's caught Waltfeld's eye."

"Don't sell yourself short," said Liz. Makoto shrugged.

"It's not a matter of selling myself short," said Makoto. "Part of the reason Admiral Halberton wanted me to be the commander of our mobile suit team was because he thought I could get a good assessment on skills and abilities. At the moment, I admit that none of us have the _skills_ necessary to beat the Tiger… however, Kira possesses a strong enough combination of skills, abilities, and the Strike's power to overcome this obstacle."

Makoto paused for a moment, then glanced at Kira.

"Fight how you want too… fight the way you feel is right," she said softly. "After all, it's that spirit that makes you who you are… and it's who you are that makes you such a great pilot, not what you are. Okay?"

Kira smiled. "Thanks," he said.

At that instant, the sound of explosions filled their ears.

"It's starting," said Victor, downing the last of his cup and heading for the door. "Good luck out there."

Everyone rushed out of the mess hall, each proceeding to their own duty stations.

* * *

Pilot's Locker Room

While Kira, Chris, and Liz finished zipping up their pilot suits, Mu argued over the comm. console with the hanger crews.

"That's right," said Mu. "Lightning on the first machine and Aile on the other. Why? Because it's faster for me to switch fighters than it is to reequip!" Mu had decided on the Striker packs for the engagement based on those he thought could be most helpful to Kira. Now that the enemy was alerted to it, they'd be keeping an eye out for signs of the Stealth Striker. The Gunbarrel and Aqua Strikers were both useless in the present environment. And the Sword Striker would be virtually useless in high-speed combat with BuCUEs, while the Launcher Striker lacked the operating time of the Lightning Striker.

Mu sighed as he closed the comm. channel. He turned to Kira. "I hate to say this, but we just can't count on the fighting strength of those guerillas," he said. "I'd wish you good luck, but… the way you've been fighting lately, I don't think you'll need it."

With that, Mu started walking towards the door. However, his words brought something Waltfeld had said to him to mind.

"Uh, sir?" asked Kira. Mu stopped and looked back at him. "What exactly is a berserker? Do you know?"

Everyone stared at Kira oddly, confused by the strange question.

"Berserker?" questioned Mu, frowning slightly. "It's a mythological warrior who goes crazy with rage when in battle."

"A crazed warrior?"

"Yeah," said Mu. "Berserkers were normally gentle and well-behaved, but when they went into battle they turned into completely different people."

Kira's eyes widened slightly in shock.

"What is it?" asked Mu. "You alright?"

"It's… uh… it's nothing," said Kira. "Forget about it."

"Okay then…" said Mu before a stray thought seemed to come to him. "Hey, come to think of it, where's Makoto?"

"Who knows," said Chris.

"_Commander La Flaga, Ensign Dante, Ensign Yamato and Ensign Dante,_" came Mir's voice suddenly over the PA. "_To your vehicles immediately._"

"Whoops," muttered Mu as the four pilots left the locker room, all idly wondering why Mir hadn't mentioned Makoto.

* * *

_Archangel_ Hangar

"_You sure about this?_" asked Murdoch as the Dauntless was loaded onto the catapult. Makoto nodded, though the chief couldn't see her.

"Yes," she said. "I don't need that protection here on Earth."

"_We're moving the Strike onto the opposite catapult now,_" said Mir. "_Loading the Integrated Weapons Striker Pack now._"

The Integrated Weapons Striker Pack—or IWSP—was the Strike's strongest and most difficult to use module. It offered the mobility of the Aile Striker, the firepower of the Launcher Striker, and the close-combat ability of the Sword Striker. These advantages were offset by the difficulty of its operation, but for Kira, that was hardly a challenge.

"_Makoto, good luck,_" said Kira, his face appearing on one of Makoto's display screens. "_Huh? Makoto, why aren't you…?_"

"For how I fight, it's better to have maximum freedom of movement," said Makoto, answering Kira's question as to why she was still in the white Earth Forces uniform Halberton had given her rather than her pilot suit. "I'll be fine."

"_Strike, Dauntless, you are clear for launch,_" said Mir. "_Good luck out there._"

"_Roger that,_" said Kira, putting Makoto's choice to forgo the pilot suit's protection out of his mind. "_Kira Yamato, Strike Gundam, taking off!_"

"Makoto Arata, Dauntless, launching!" said Makoto as the catapults activated and both machines were flung into the desert sky.

* * *

_Lesseps_ Mobile Suit Hanger

Waltfeld smiled up at the custom-colored LaGOWE. The machine was essentially a BuCUE with modest improvements to the armor, sensors, cooling systems, and internal mechanisms. The speed and agility of the machine, however, was at least fifty percent better than a BuCUE, and the machine equipped a head-mounted dual beam saber and back-mounted dual beam cannon, with a secondary gunner seat in the cockpit. Aisha had volunteered for the role of gunner.

"Commander," came Yzak's voice as he and Dearka walked over to them. "What the heck is going on around here? Why are we stuck on top of the _Lesseps_?"

"Oh my," said Waltfeld. "Do all members of the Le Creuset Team object to their superior officers orders, or are you just extra special?"

"No," said Yzak, his apparent bluster dying down almost immediately. "However… we have a lot more experience against them! More than you do!"

"Losing experience doesn't count," said Aisha with an amused smile.

"What?" demanded Yzak.

"Aisha," said Waltfeld.

"I'm sorry," she said. Waltfeld turned his attention back to Yzak.

"You're suits are designed for artillery battles," he said. "They can't handle a high-speed engagement like the BuCUEs. You won't keep up."

"But sir, that…" started Yzak, but Dearka cut him off.

"Yzak, forget about it," he said. "We've got our orders." He saluted Andy. "Excuse us sir."

As they walked away, Dearka glanced at Yzak.

"Don't worry," he said. "When it gets messy out there, we'll get plenty of chances."

"Yeah…" said Yzak.

"Can you believe that kid's attitude?" asked Waltfeld, grabbing the zipline. "He is in for a rude awakening with that kind of mouthy insolence."

A moment later, the main hangar gate of the _Lesseps_ opened up. Unlike most ships, the _Lesseps_ lacked linear catapults, since it was intended to carry BuCUEs, which wouldn't need such a thing.

"All right DaCosta, I'm leaving you in charge of the ship," said Waltfeld.

"_Yes sir,_" said DaCosta.

"Waltfeld, LaGOWE, heading out!" said Waltfeld.

As he said that, Waltfeld hit the controls, activating the thrusters in the LaGOWE's wings, and sending it flying out of the _Lesseps_ and to the sand below.

* * *

Beams, missiles, cannon shells, railgun rounds, bullets, rocket-propelled grenades, shotgun pellets and more flew across the sky, the roar of the countless weapons deafening more than a few of the more unprotected guerillas as choppers exploded, jeeps were crushed, and BuCUEs fell to the overwhelming power of the Strike. The Raven and Guardian in mobile armor mode accompanied the Skygrasper in assaulting the enemy battleships, while the Dauntless used its flight capabilities to assist the Talos in playing sniper.

"Damn!" said Kira as he destroyed a third BuCUE. "How many of these are there? Makoto?"

"_I'm counting at least seven more BuCUEs,_" said Makoto, her vantage point perfectly suited to coordinating her allies on the ground. "_The ships also have around fifteen ZuOOTs between them, and the _Lesseps_ has the Resolute, Buster, and Duel on top of it. And… oh shit! _Archangel_, look out!_"

Makoto's warning came too late as missiles streaked in at the _Archangel_ from behind, catching everyone by surprise as they hit the ship and sent it careening into the factory. A third ZAFT ship, the _Henry Carter_, emerged from its hiding spot amongst a rocky region the _Archangel_ had just past. More missiles and cannon fire rained down on the _Archangel_ from the ambushing warship, and Neumann was forced to bring the aft of the ship lower to the ground to evade, resulting in the forward wing and port leg becoming further entangled in the factory ruins.

"_Damn it,_" cursed Victor. "_I can't believe we didn't see this coming!_"

At that moment, a distinctive, orange BuCUE-like mobile suit suddenly appeared, firing a dual beam cannon the Strike's way. Kira defended with his shield before snatching the Midas Messer from it and sending it flying at the new machine. The mobile suit dodged aside, but the BuCUE behind it was destroyed by the boomerang.

"Waltfeld, is that you?" asked Kira, dodging fire from the machine while returning fire with his shoulder-mounted railguns. The machine suddenly ignited its beam saber and raced towards the Strike. The Raven, seeing this, suddenly turned and began firing on the orange-machine, but it swerved around the shots and returned fire, seemingly without diverting any attention from the Strike.

"_Chris, don't!_" said Makoto as the Raven evaded the beams. "_This is Kira's fight. Leave it to him. Help Liz and Commander La Flaga!_"

"Ugh," groaned Chris. "Alright… I understand." With that, he turned the Raven back for the ZAFT ships.

"Thanks Makoto," said Kira as he continued the battle with Waltfeld's machine using one of his anti-ship swords.

"_You're welcome,_" came the reply.

Elsewhere, the _Archangel_ was being relentlessly pounded on by the trio of ZAFT warships and their ZuOOTs, unable to evade, tangled as it was with the Talbadiya factory ruins. Suddenly, the port catapult opened, and the second Skygrasper launched from the ship.

"Hey, who's in Skygrasper 2?" demanded Mu.

"_I am,_" said Cagalli. Mu, Chris, Liz, Makoto, and Victor all sighed (Kira was too busy fighting Waltfeld).

"Okay, fine whatever," said Mu. "Stay on my wing and try not to get shot down, okay?"

"_Not a problem,_" said Cagalli. "_I did perform the best in the simulators after all._"

"There's a difference between simulations and real combat!" said Mu.

"_I know that!_" retorted Cagalli.

"_Will you two just shut up and get to work?!_" shouted Makoto in frustration. Fortunately, the two listened to her, and both Skygraspers turned towards the _Henry Carter_.

In the Raven, Chris smirked suddenly as an idea came to him.

"Hey, Liz, you mind helping me with something for a moment?" he asked.

"_Huh?_"

Makoto's eyes narrowed as she destroyed several choppers with her machine cannons. The Resolute was behaving oddly—it was only using its gatling shield, and even that was being used quite conservatively.

Suddenly, the Raven appeared in front of the _Lesseps_, weapons blazing at the trio of stolen Gundams. They dodged to the side, but the Guardian suddenly appeared from a different angle, and let loose repeatedly with its grenade launchers.

The explosions knocked the three machines off of the _Lesseps_.

As Yzak and Dearka landed on the desert surface, their machines suddenly began sinking into the sand… to the surprise of everyone except Waltfeld, the Resolute seemed completely unaffected, and the machine leapt into the air straight towards the Dauntless.

"I thought I was the one with the vendetta here," said Makoto, dodging fire as the Resolute finally began to employ its full arsenal. "What are you, fanatical, or do you simply not like the fact that you can't beat me?"

"_Oh, nothing of the sort, Makoto,_" came Erik's voice over the radio.

"So, Waltfeld told you my name, did he?" she asked with narrowed eyes as she continued to battle the Resolute from the air.

"_Can you think of a reason for him not tell me?_" asked Erik. "_Besides, it's not like you've been willing to disclose it yourself._"

"Maybe because I don't like you?" she asked, gunning down his missiles with her machine cannons and Igelstellungs. "Did that thought ever occur to you?"

"_More times than you want to know,_" came the reply.

_Makoto…_ thought Liz, seeing the Dauntless fighting with the Resolute. However, knowing that Makoto had to settle things with the pilot personally, she quashed the urge to go and help her friend, and instead turned the Guardian towards the _Petrie_.

"Chris, you and Victor handle the BuCUEs," she said. "The Guardian's firepower will be more useful against the ships."

"_Agreed,_" said Chris.

"_I'm running low on ammo for the rifle anyways,_" said Victor, and Liz saw the Talos discard its sniper rifle, snatch up both of its swords, and leap off the deck of the _Archangel_ to land atop a BuCUE that had been chasing a few resistance jeeps, cutting the quadrupedal machine apart.

The Skygraspers headed for the _Petrie_, opening up with their beam cannons, machine guns, and missiles, while Mu's also opened up with the Lightning Striker's electromagnetic cannon and Cagalli began firing the Aile Striker's beam rifle. The ZuOOTs were all soon nothing more than smoldering wreckage, as smoke rose from holes in the warship's armor and where turrets had once been located.

"Alright, not bad, keep it up," said Mu.

A barrage of missiles suddenly flew from the crippled vessel up at Cagalli's Skygrasper. Fortunately, the powerful added verniers of the Aile Striker gave her just enough maneuverability and speed to avoid being hit, and the girl came around and fired the beam rifle at the offending launcher.

Meanwhile, the Raven and Talos were battling the BuCUEs, the GINN riding atop the Raven's mobile armor form, the two employing machine guns to kick up blinding sand and shred through the armor of the BuCUEs.

"Victor, I'm running low on ammo," said Chris. "So the taxi ride ends here."

"_That's fine, I'm running low myself,_" said Victor, hopping off of the Raven and landing on the head of a BuCUE, crushing it, before stabbing his sword though the missile pod and into the machine's back.

"You love doing that, don't you?" asked Chris.

"_Correct,_" said Victor. A BuCUE suddenly appeared behind him, and while he dodged one of the railgun rounds, the other blasted his second sword from the Talos' left hand. As the BuCUE charged with its saber, Victor sprung one of his machine's assault knives from the shoulder, and stabbed it into the BuCUE's neck, dragging and twisting the blade to decapitate the suit altogether. He then tore the sword in his machine's right hand free of the earlier impaled BuCUE, and sliced the second one in half.

Chris, meanwhile, shifted the Raven to mobile suit mode and crashed into the sand. He ducked the midnight blue Gundam down as a BuCUE attempted to cut it with its beam saber, and shouldered the dog-like mobile suit backwards into the air. Quickly drawing one of his own beam sabers, Chris stabbed it into the stomach of the BuCUE, then pulled it upwards diagonally to his left, leaping back as the machine exploded.

An alarm sounded, alerting Chris to incoming missiles, and he spun around, Igelstellungs blazing, blocking the last few missiles with his shield. Sighting his assailant, Chris aimed the dual shield cannon and fired three times in rapid succession. While the BuCUE dodged the first pair, one round of the second pair pierced its missile pod, and the last two rounds tore straight through the machine's main body, destroying it.

Elsewhere, Liz employed the tremendous speed and firepower of her machine's mobile armor form to full effect as the _Petrie_ spewed smoke from dozens of holes blasted in its armor. The ship's weapons, bridge, and ZuOOTs had all been annihilated by Liz's precision attacks, and she now turned her attention to the _Lesseps_ as Mu and Cagalli returned from finishing off the _Henry Carter_.

As resistance fighters pounded on Yzak's helpless machine, Dearka managed to find enough footing for an attack on the _Archangel_ with the Buster's anti-armor shotgun.

"I hope this works," he said as he squeezed the trigger.

Unfortunately, his footing failed at that instant, and the angle of the shot changed, slamming into the factory ruins. The damage was enough for the _Archangel_ to break free, and the massive warship turned to face the _Lesseps_, firing both Gottfrieds on the flagship of the Desert Tiger as the Guardian and Skygraspers began their own assault on it.

* * *

Elsewhere

Sand was kicked up as bullets hit the desert surface and missiles exploded. The Dauntless and Resolute clashed, Exia sword-rifle and anti-armor sword against the Resolute's dual beam sabers. Makoto grit her teeth, knowing her opponent had turned the tables from their fight in orbit—this time, she was the one who'd used up power fighting through to this battle, not the other way around.

However, Makoto wasn't going to let something as small as that beat her. Pushing the arms of both machines outwards, Makoto released her swords and slammed the head of the Dauntless into that of the Resolute, sending Erik's machine tumbling back. Before he could react, she shot both of the Dauntless's beam sabers into her machine's hands, and swung forward, severing both of the Resolute's arms.

Panting, she stood, well and truly victorious, over the fallen form of the Resolute. She returned both beam sabers to her machine's wrists, and recovered the Exia while replacing the anti-armor sword. She then aimed the Exia at the still motionless, but at least partially loaded, Resolute.

"… _finish it,_" said Erik over the radio suddenly. Makoto began to squeeze the trigger, released it, and started again.

She wanted too. She wanted it more than anything she'd ever wanted before in her life. To kill this man who'd taken her parents from her… to avenge the death of the two people who brought her into the world. But…

"No," said Makoto resolutely, lowering the Exia. "I won't."

"_Why? Do you think that just because you spared me, I'll stop coming after you and your friends on that ship?_"

"I didn't think you would," admitted Makoto. "But… I won't kill you. Not like this. Not for these reasons. My parents… my teacher… my aunt… they'd all be ashamed of me for wanting revenge. I love them too much to disappoint them. I've already won. That's enough, for now."

"_I'll come after you again!_" said Erik, suddenly sounding almost crazed with rage. "_And I'll keep coming after you! Until one of us is destroyed! Finish me damn it!_"

"I'm not helping you commit suicide," said Makoto firmly, eyes closed. _The dauntless heart… yes… this is my path. I won't turn away from it._ "If you want to die, do it yourself. And if you do come after me again, then I'll beat you next time as well. And again and again and again. I'll never let you beat me. I'll never let you hurt my friends."

With that, Makoto lashed out with the Exia, piercing a critical connection within the Resolute's torso, completely disconnecting all power. The blue-green Phase Shift Armor faded to a dull grey as Makoto turned the Dauntless and leapt away into the air, Erik screaming after her.

* * *

Elsewhere

The Strike fired on the LaGOWE, but Waltfeld dodged, and Aisha's return fire skewered the Strike's rifle. Kira opened up with the 30mm gatling on his shield as he drew an anti-ship sword.

The battle had been long and grueling, and both machines were starting to run low on power. Kira, Waltfeld, and Aisha all knew that it would soon be over, one way or another.

Waltfeld glanced at the _Lesseps_, and blinked in surprise at the sheer damage it had sustained. The ZuOOTs were gone, and the cannons and missile launchers had been annihilated. The Raven, GINN, Guardian, both Skygraspers, and even the Dauntless and _Archangel_ were all pounding on the ship.

"DaCosta, signal the retreat," ordered Waltfeld. "There's no way for us to win here."

"_Yes sir,_" said DaCosta. "_But what will yo—_" Waltfeld shut off the comm. before his subordinate could finish. He then turned his attention to his copilot and lover.

"You too Aisha," he said.

"I'd rather lay down my life," she said.

"So we're both idiots," said Waltfeld with a fond smile.

"I'm fine with that," said Aisha, mirroring his smile.

"Alright," said Waltfeld. "Let's do it!"

"Please, stop this Commander Waltfeld!" pleaded Kira as he dodged a lunge from Waltfeld's LaGOWE and cut the turret free. "There's no reason to fight anymore!"

"_I told you kid,_" said Waltfeld. "_I'm not giving up… until one of us is destroyed!_"

He then charged forward, and Kira dodged again, this time cutting away one of the LaGOWE's wings before spinning around and firing his railguns and cannons, taking off one of the LaGOWE's legs.

"If you fight like that, it only results in meaningless death!" shouted Kira. As Waltfeld charged in once again, and the last of the Strike's combat power finally gave out, an amethyst seed burst behind Kira's violet eyes.

_There it is again_, thought Makoto, turning the Dauntless to watch the final moment of the battle between Kira and Waltfeld. _That makes three times now…_

Kira discarded his shield and anti-ship sword, and ejected the entire IWSP, springing an assault knife. The Strike charged forward, and Kira stabbed the Armor Schneider into the LaGOWE's back, before the orange-machine's momentum sent his now-grey mobile suit toppling away.

Electricity surged around the LaGOWE as it collapsed to the ground, and the powerplant went critical, exploding as Andrew and Aisha met in a warm, final embrace.

In the Talos, Victor saluted the Tiger, as did many of the surviving ZAFT soldiers who saw their commander's fall.

In the Strike, Kira stared at the wreckage, tears in his eyes.

"It didn't… it didn't have to end like this!" he shouted.

* * *

**Author's Note: Well, I hope that was alright. The original version ended quite similarly to the chapter in _The White Queen_, with Kira cutting the LaGOWE apart, but I decided to keep the ending closer to the canon version.**

**Also, we get to see the IWSP in action much earlier than I had planned. Originally, it wasn't to appear until after they left Orb, but as you can see, that's changed...**

**Part of the reason for Makoto's reaction is because I realized that I forgot to write it in for Kira's activation of the SEED during their first battle with Andy's forces. Bad Maileesaeya!**

**Finally, we get an interesting look at Erik's character. He actually took the time to configure the Resolute for desert conditions. It always struck me as somewhat odd that Yzak and Dearka didn't when they joined up with Waltfeld two days before the battle actually happened, but then, maybe they were just too hotheaded and cocky to realize they needed to.**

**P.S.: I've left little clues here and there throughout the story. If you pay attention to every clue and piece it together, Makoto's secret becomes blindingly obvious. I think I'll list all the clues when I actually _do_ reveal her "secret". No, I'm not talking about her reactions to the SEED, I'm talking about the "other secret". ^_^  
**


	15. Phase 14: The Sea Dyed Red

**Holy... crap... now we see the end result of working on a two-episode chapter over the course of a week or so of time... a chapter in excess of 12500 words...**

**I'm glad I finally got this out, but... well, it's crazy. I can hardly believe I wrote it. Some of the final parts from episode 23 are a little lackluster, since I didn't have the end of the episode to draw on for aid with my writing. However, I did add in a few original scenes with Makoto, and some of the end of the chapter takes place during episode 24. I skipped the stuff on the island (like almost everyone else), since nothing really changes. I also included some stuff that is never featured in fanfiction (because it was skipped over entirely for the series).**

**I also gave up a lot of character stuff here. By the end of the chapter, Makoto's identity should be blatantly obvious. Have fun! ^_^  
**

* * *

Phase Fourteen: The Sea Dyed Red

February 28th, C.E. 71

* * *

Desert Dawn HQ

"But you have to take me with you!" said Cagalli. "You people don't have any idea what's going on down here. And I'm better at solving supply problems than any of your crew."

"However…" started Murrue.

"Of course, I can't say I'll come with you to Alaska," said Cagalli. "And there's no way I'll sign up for the Earth Forces. But you need my help."

"What do you mean 'your help'?" asked Mu.

"I can… um… uh…" sputtered Cagalli. "I can help in lots of ways!"

"Oh? And just how does an overemotional little girl think she's going to help them out?" asked Victor.

"You're gonna help us, like a goddess?" added Mu. Cagalli held back a growl.

"Whatever the case may be, I'm going with you aboard the _Archangel_," said Cagalli. "I've already decided." With that, Cagalli turned around and stormed off.

"Man, what a stubborn, spoiled, overemotional, hot-headed, little girl," said Victor, sipping coffee. "I pity the poor fool that falls in love with her."

"Hmmm," murmured Murrue in agreement before turning to Victor. "While we're on the subject of people going with us, I was wondering if you'd come along as well."

Victor shrugged. "I figured you'd ask me that sooner or later," he said evenly. "If nothing else, I imagine Lieutenant Arata would miss her punching bag." He sighed. "I've already given it some thought. We can worry about most of the payment when we get to Alaska—I don't wanna stick around here, with Sahib trying to install me as a permanent member of Desert Dawn's leadership. Aside from the transportation, though, all I ask for now is that we see about adapting some beam sabers to the Talos. I need to improve the weaponry at least a little."

"That shouldn't be a problem," said Natarle, drawing shocked looks from all three of the others. She blinked. "What?"

"Aren't you usually a little more reserved about sharing technology?" asked Mu. Natarle shifted slightly.

"It isn't like ZAFT doesn't have the technology—and a number of others—already," said Natarle. "I don't see any harm in it at this point, especially since it seems like the Le Creuset Team hasn't given up the chase."

"Yeah, guess your right," said Mu.

* * *

The _Archangel_

The Indian Ocean

March 3rd, C.E. 71

The _Archangel_ glided across the waters of the Indian Ocean. Chris, Liz, Tolle, Mir, Flay and some off duty crew members were standing on the starboard outside deck, enjoying the cool breeze and the vast sea below them.

"Wow…" said Liz. "Look at all that water. I've never seen so much."

"That's right. This is your first time at sea, isn't it?" said Tolle.

"Actually, this is the first time we've been on Earth, period," said Chris, leaning on the guardrail.

"Really? said Mir. "Then this must be really different from what you're use to."

"Yeah," said Chris. "I've seen pictures of Earth's oceans and deserts, but to actually see it with my own eyes is something else entirely. The pictures don't do them credit." Chris sighed contently and turned around to lean back against the rail. In so doing, he spotted something on the opposite deck.

"Who's that?" questioned Chris, standing up straight and walking over to the opposite guardrail, the others trailing behind him curiously. Chris and Liz were the only ones to be able to make out who the lone figure was.

"Makoto?" questioned Liz. "What's she doing?"

"Katas," said Chris. "She's practicing her martial arts."

"That's right, she's a martial artist too, right?" said Tolle. Liz nodded.

"Let's go see her," suggested Flay with a slight smile, and the others nodded in agreement before following her back into the ship.

* * *

Bridge

"The Earth Forces have certainly left you in a difficult position," said Kisaka. "Ordering you to head to Alaska but not sending you any supplies. Although I'm sure you have enough food and water, it would be wise to avoid the enemy whenever possible."

"But sailing out into the Indian Ocean is an extremely risky plan," said Natarle. "If we were attacked out there, we'd have no where to escape to."

"There is no 'safe' route," said Victor. "No matter which route we take to Alaska, there will be danger. All things considered, this is the safest route. ZAFT does not have the numbers to just seize territory without reason. The middle of the ocean will have the least presence. With a little luck, we should be able to avoid any major ZAFT naval groups in the area. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to finish patching up my machine and getting it properly adapted to use those beam sabers."

* * *

Port Upper Deck

Chris was the first to step out onto the portside upper deck, studying Makoto practicing her katas with a critical eye.

It was interesting, to say the least. In some respects, her movements were more like dancing than martial arts, swift and graceful. At the same time, a serpentine danger was present, and she held herself with all the pride of a mountain lion. He'd only seen her fight once, back at Artemis base, and had not been privy to her sparring matches with Victor.

The others followed Chris onto the deck, all of them quietly watching Makoto. For Tolle and Miriallia, in particular, it could be considered quite a show, as the two had never seen martial artists at work.

It didn't take long for Chris and Liz to realize something about Makoto's practice though: she _was_ dancing. Her eyes were closed, and a content smile adorned her features as her hair flowed in the wind.

Makoto slowly wound down from the katas before stopping entirely and sighing in apparent content.

"It's not perfect," she said, turning to them. "But it's as close as anything has gotten for me since I went to Heliopolis."

"What's not perfect?" asked Flay.

"The environment," said Makoto. "On windy days, Master Misuumi would take me to a cliff and start a bonfire. We'd then practice there, on the cliffedge by the fire, soaking in the heat of the flame, the sound of the waves crashing below, and the feel of the wind in our faces and the earth beneath our feet."

"The four elements?" questioned Chris. Makoto nodded.

"They're one of the centerpieces of the arts I learned," she said, stretching her arms overhead. "Even Aunt Serenity joined us sometimes, though she preferred simply meditating or watching us. Maybe I'll show you sometime. Where's Kira?"

"Not sure," admitted Chris.

"I think he was in the hangar," said Tolle. "Working on something with Murdoch."

"Geez, wasn't it Makoto's job to push herself too much?" said Chris irritably. "I'm gonna go find him and drag his ass out here to relax a little."

"Go check up on him, but don't drag him out unless he's working on the Strike," said Makoto. "I think Lieutenant Badgiruel had him working on adapting ZAFT's Lorenzini sensor for the _Archangel_. And Chief Murdoch and Victor might've asked him to help out with adapting the Talos to use our beam sabers."

"Right, I'll keep that in mind," said Chris. "Thanks for the heads up."

* * *

Rear Upper Deck

Kira sighed, thoughts running back to his conversations and battles with Waltfeld. He hadn't meant to kill Waltfeld or Aisha. It had been an accident. He wasn't going to let Waltfeld kill him, but he'd hardly planned for the Armor Schneider to pierce the powerplant. His target had been the neck. If he could've just severed the head of the machine…

But that wasn't how it had happened, and Kira couldn't do a thing to change it now. He hated all this killing.

Thoughts of Waltfeld, of killing an enemy who he knew personally, soon turned his thoughts to Athrun. If killing Waltfeld had been like this, what would it be like if Kira eventually killed Athrun, or vice versa? And how would Chris feel if he had to kill Zane?

Kira sighed again, standing up and leaning against the rail of the upper rear deck. In a way, he envied Makoto. While it was true that the redhead had been witness to the death of her parents at the hands of the Resolute pilot, unlike Kira, Chris, and even Liz, there had never been any friendship between her and the enemies they faced.

"Hey Kira," called Cagalli as she stepped out onto the deck behind him, causing Kira to look over his shoulder at her. "I see you came out for a little fresh air too."

Kira sighed as he straightened up, ready to leave. He really didn't want to talk to Cagalli about this. Chris and Makoto were probably the only ones he could really talk to about it.

"Kira, have you been crying?" asked Cagalli curiously as she stepped up next to him. Kira turned to leave, ignoring her question, but she reached out and grabbed his wrist. "Wait." Kira paused for a moment to look back at her, frowning. Cagalli looked away almost guiltily, letting go of him, and he again started to walk away when she suddenly ran over to him and grabbed him in a hug.

"It's alright," she said softly. "It's okay. Everything's gonna be okay. Don't worry, it'll be just fine."

At that instant, the door opened, and the two glanced over to see Chris standing there, staring at them in surprise.

"I… er… I…. sorry," he said, stumbling through his words. "Didn't mean to interrupt anything. I'll be going now." He started turning to walk away.

Cagalli pushed Kira back, and Chris saw that both were blushing. "It's not like that at all!" said Cagalli. "Kira looked upset and I was just…"

"I don't want to know," said Chris as he walked through the door. "And I'm not gonna say anything."

* * *

_Vosgulov_-class Submarine _Varnass_

"_I was quite shocked to learn about Commander Waltfeld's death,_" said the recording of Rau Le Creuset on the monitor. "_I feel partly responsible, as I should've never allowed the legged ship to land on Earth. His death is a tremendous loss._"

Marco Morassim, holding a mug of coffee as he approached his bed, which the monitor sat next too, scoffed slightly, not believing Le Creuset's words for an instant.

"_In a short time, I shall arrive on Earth for Operation Spitbreak,_" continued the recording. "_The legged ship and its crew are formidable adversaries, so I trust that I will be able to count on your capable assistance when the time comes, Commander Morassim._"

Anything else that might've been said was cut off as Morassim slammed his fist down on the shut off switch.

"That punk Le Creuset," he said spitefully. "That man's got some serious nerve, sending me a condescending message like that. But… it really doesn't matter. I'll go along with his plan. But I'll be the one who fells this so-called 'legged ship'."

* * *

The _Archangel_

"You know, you're a pretty strange guy," said Cagalli, sitting by the deck door as Kira leaned against the rail. "Just like the other day for example, when you totally freaked out and then slapped me."

"Oh… sorry," said Kira, though, as he recalled, he'd simply lost all patience with the angry tomboy.

"Well… it's… not that I'm really mad," said Cagalli. "But I wonder sometimes why on earth you're a Coordinator in the first place."

"What?" questioned Kira.

"Oh… that didn't come out right," said Cagalli, sounding apologetic. "I mean… why are you fighting for the Earth Forces if you're a Coordinator?"

"You probably think that's strange," said Kira, taking a few steps away from the rail towards her before looking up at the sky. "I get that a lot." His thoughts turned, if only briefly, to everything Athrun, Garcia, and Waltfeld had said to him about being a Coordinator fighting for Naturals.

"Whether or not people think you're strange isn't the point," said Cagalli as Kira sat down next to her. "We're at war because Coordinators and Naturals are determined to exterminate each other no matter what the cost. I mean, don't you have strong feelings about that?"

"What about you?" replied Kira softly.

"My feelings towards someone have nothing to do with their being Coordinator or Natural," she said.

"Same here," said Kira evenly.

"But I also think that when somebody attacks you in a war, you have no choice but to fight back," continued Cagalli.

"It's easy to believe that," said Kira. They were quiet for a moment before Kira spoke again. "You know, there's no difference between Coordinators… and everyone else."

"But you guys can do so much more stuff than we can," said Cagalli. "You're talented in all these different ways, from birth."

"Only if we sharpen our skills by practicings, studying, and training properly," said Kira. "Like Naturals, we're born with potential. We're not gifted just because we're Coordinators."

"Hmm… well then, I guess you are the same," said Cagalli.

"It is true that we don't catch deadly diseases," said Kira. "And that we had our genes altered before we were born to enhance our physical and mental abilities. But I thought everyone aspired to that. Even Naturals. That's why we exist."

"Yeah, you're right," said Cagalli.

"So, why the war?" asked Kira.

"I… I don't know," said Cagalli honestly.

"Nothing is ever simple," said Kira softly. "If there's one thing I've learned in all this, then that's it."

The two were silent for a few minutes, but the quiet was suddenly interrupted by the sound of the alarm.

* * *

The Hangar

The hangar deck was a flood of activity as the mechanics rushed to get the mobile suits and Skygraspers prepped for launch. While Kira headed to get his pilot suit, Cagalli entered the hangar and approached the second Skygrasper.

"Hold it right there!" said Johanna, blocking her path. "This one's still not ready for launch! Maintenance isn't complete because of the work on the GINN."

"Ugh, damn it!" said Cagalli.

"Just sit back and wait while we get this one fixed," said Johanna.

"_So, do we know what we're up against?_" asked Chris as the Skygrasper—equipped with the Launcher pack this time—and Guardian were loaded onto the catapults.

"_A squadron of five DINNs,_" said Mir.

"_DINNs?_" asked Chris.

"Light, high-speed atmospheric combat suits," said Makoto, who had studied the intelligence and data they had on their enemies extensively. "Similar to the Dauntless, but oriented towards long-range combat, in order to take on bases, ships, and fighters."

"_Guardian, Skygrasper, you are clear for launch,_" said Mir.

"_Roger, Mu La Flaga, Skygrasper launching!_" came Mu's voice.

"_Liz Dante, Guardian, launching!_" said Liz.

"_Alright, we'll load the Dauntless onto the catapult,_" said Mir as Kira entered the Strike. Makoto nodded slightly in acknowledgement.

"Chris, I want you to play support for Kira," she said, surprising the others. "Kira, equip the Aqua Striker. ZAFT isn't stupid enough to think that just five DINNs can take us on, and I want to be prepared for anything. Chris, you'll use the Raven to support Kira. Liz, you're Commander La Flaga's wingman, so follow his lead. Understood?"

"_Roger,_" came everyone's voices almost simultaneously.

"Good," said Makoto. "Makoto Arata, Dauntless, I'm taking off!"

As the Dauntless took off, the Aqua Striker was loaded onto the Strike in the opposite catapult, and the Raven was moved into launch position on the newly vacated catapult.

Outside, the DINNs were already upon the _Archangel_, their assault rifles blazing. The _Archangel_'s Igelstellungs and missiles returned fire, but the DINNs nimbly dodged the incoming fire.

"_Alright, what do you say Liz and I take the three on the right while you take the two on the left?_" said Mu.

"Sounds good," said Makoto, turning the Dauntless towards the _Archangel_'s port side. Meanwhile, the Strike and Raven emerged from the _Archangel_, the Raven shifting to mobile armor form for the Strike to land on top of.

"Kira, Chris, help Liz and Commander La Flaga on the starboard side," said Makoto.

"_Right,_" said Chris, turning the Raven bringing the Raven around to aid his sister.

Sending off the four of them against a mere three DINNs wasn't Makoto doubting her teammates abilities. On the contrary, she was quite certain these DINNs would prove easy enough for them.

At the same time, they all faced a critical weakness: flight. While the Raven and Guardian were flight capable, they needed to be in mobile armor form to do so, which hampered their fighting capabilities. Kira, similarly, was unable to fly, and had to rely on Chris for movement in this sort of battlefield. Mu, though he was no worse off than usual, was in the weakest of all their machines.

Makoto herself did not suffer those weaknesses regarding flight or fighting ability.

And more importantly, she was faster than their enemies.

"So, this is the Dauntless, hmm?" murmured Morassim as he opened fire. The Dauntless nimbly dodged the fire of the two DINNs, and machine cannons unfolded from the shoulders, swatting their missiles from the sky. It then went into a series of seemingly impossible aerial maneuvers, appearing suddenly in front of Morassim's wingman. The Exia flashed, and the DINN fell from the sky in pieces.

"Damn! These machines are as tough as they say!" said Morassim. "GOOhN team, are you in position?"

"_Yes sir,_" came the voice of Hans, the lead pilot of the GOOhN team.

"Then fire!" ordered Morassim.

Under the water, a squad of five GOOhNs fired a barrage of torpedoes at the _Archangel_. The crew responded by pulling the ship into the air, avoiding the torpedoes. But the GOOhNs would have none of it, and began firing on the ship with their dart rifles, Phonon Masers, and torpedoes.

"Damn, I knew they had to have more waiting," said Makoto. "Kira, you're with me. We'll deal with the GOOhNs. Chris, you're on Commander La Flaga's wing opposite Liz."

"_Roger that,_" said Kira.

"_On it,_" said Chris.

The Raven flew over the approximate area of the GOOhNs and the Strike leapt off, plunging into the water, with the Dauntless following close behind.

Beneath the waves, Kira looked around, quickly spotting the five GOOhNs. Three converged on him, with the last two heading for Makoto.

Not terribly concerned for Makoto's safety—it'd take a lot more than a few GOOhNs to bring her down—Kira focused on his own enemies. The GOOhNs rushed forward, intent on tackling him. However, while the GOOhNs were fast in the water, they were also bulky, and not particularly agile. And while the Strike was a space model mobile suit, armed as it was with the Aqua Striker, Kira's machine was more agile than the GOOhNs. He pulled down beneath it and grabbed hold of the GOOhN as it swam past him, pushing the Aqua Strike's shotgun against the GOOhN's chest. The shotgun was intended for attacking aerial targets from the surface, and was virtually useless underwater, but at point-blank range, it would be all too effective against the amphibious mobile suit Kira aimed at now.

He pulled the trigger twice in rapid succession, then pushed away and fired one last time before the GOOhN's momentum pulled it away and the machine exploded. Kira then pulled his heat swords and dodged away from the remaining GOOhN's torpedoes, retaliating with his own torpedoes.

Elsewhere, Makoto was having a little more difficulty than Kira. While the Dauntless was more versatile than any individual Striker pack, it was still a space model built for close-combat, and Makoto now faced a very bad situation, fighting for the first time in the environment in which her machine was weakest, against a pair of machines built for this environment, with pilots who no doubt knew what they were doing.

Or so she would've thought. However, Makoto was quick to discover, just as Kira already had, that these pilots had something in common with those of the Waltfeld Team: namely, they were so used to fighting enemies in conventional machines such as fighters, tanks, and attack submarines that they had no idea how to fight a mobile suit. Or perhaps they just assumed that no Natural could ever use a mobile suit effectively, and were under the impression that the _Archangel_ pilots were all Naturals.

The two machines were quick to use their speed to tackle her in quick succession. They tried to do so again, this time with one unleashing a barrage of torpedoes at her, but the redhead was ready for it, spinning the Dauntless about and firing her machine cannons and Igelstellungs.

As soon as the first machine was in range, she struck, the Exia's Phase Shift reinforced blade cleaving the passing GOOhN in two without effort.

In the skies above, the DINNs were struggling against the power of the Raven, Guardian, Skygrasper, and _Archangel_. One DINN flew recklessly close to the warship and fired on it. The damage was negligible, though, and the _Archangel_ returned fire with a barrage of missiles. The DINN dodged most of the missiles, but one took out its rifle. The pilot was so distracted, however, that he failed to consider why the _Archangel_ hadn't employed its Igelstellungs.

The answer was simple: Natarle had specifically ordered that the Igelstellungs not be turned on the DINN, because of something she'd seen out there.

As the DINN tried to turn around and flee from the warship, the pilot screamed in terror at the sight of the Raven's twin claws flashing to life with blades of burning plasma that sliced the ZAFT mobile suit in three.

"Damn it!" cursed Morassim as he dodged incoming fire from the Skygrasper. "What's taking the GOOhN team?"

Even as Morassim cursed, though, things turned even more against him. One DINN pursued the Guardian, only to be caught off-guard as Liz shifted to mobile suit mode, spinning around in the process. A shot from the Guardian's rifle flashed through the air, piercing the DINN's head, and a blade flashed to life as Liz finished her opponent off with the Guardian's beam saber, then shifted quickly back to mobile armor form. While Mu kept Morassim busy, Chris and Liz double-teamed the final DINN.

The two blazed in from different vectors, and Liz let loose with the Guardian's entire arsenal: hyper impulse rifle, dual beam guns, and quadruple grenade launchers. The DINN evaded this, but just as in their team attack on the _Lesseps_ top deck, the first attack was only a diversion.

The Raven shifted to mobile suit form, drew both sabers, and cut the DINN to pieces.

In the water, the remaining trio of GOOhNs were giving the teenage Coordinators more difficulty—until they noticed that their opponents were totally focused on them.

"_Hey, Kira, can I borrow a couple torpedoes?_" asked Makoto, mild amusement lacing her voice.

Kira couldn't help but smile slightly. "No problem," he said, firing again—only this time, he was aiming for the GOOhN battling Makoto, rather than one of his own opponents.

The GOOhN swam right into the torpedoes.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Makoto shot forward, as quickly as the Dauntless could underwater, and grabbed one of Kira's opponents. Storing the Exia, which was too large to use here, she sprung one of her Armor Schneider and stabbed it into the GOOhN. It's armor pierced, the machine was quickly crushed by the water pressure, like a tin can under a semi.

The two remaining GOOhNs, one badly damaged by Kira's attack, opened up with their torpedoes, but Makoto gunned those down with her machine cannons, giving Kira the opportunity to launch a counter barrage of his own torpedoes.

These struck the GOOhNs, destroying the damaged one, and giving Kira the time to move forward—the Aqua Strike was faster than the Dauntless underwater, after all—and lash out with his heat swords, destroying the final GOOhN.

Morassim dove low to avoid fire from the Raven. Ahead of him, an explosion from underwater appeared, and the wreckage of several GOOhNs surfaced.

"What?! They've been wiped out?!" said Morassim incredulously.

Suddenly, the Agni lashed out as Mu dove in from overhead, tearing through the DINN's left wing. Morassim barely dodged the follow-up attacks of the Raven and Guardian.

"Damn," he said, gritting his teeth. "Time to pull back."

He turned and flew away, heading back to the _Varnass_. He had been beaten this time. But next time, he'd destroy that legged ship personally.

Kira stared at the wreckage of the five mobile suits he and his friend had defeated, his thoughts again on Commander Waltfeld.

_I hate this_, he thought. _I hate this whole war. But if I don't do this…_

Kira felt the Strike shift and glanced back to see the Dauntless's hand on his machine's shoulder, next to the torpedo launcher.

"_Kira, you okay?_" asked Makoto, her voice clearly concerned.

"Yes," said Kira. "I'm… I'm fine."

"_Kira, if you're ever having a hard time, you know you can talk to use about it, right?_" she asked.

Hearing that, Kira smiled. It was to help his friends. For that, for their protection…

He could do this.

"I know," he said. "I know. Thanks. Let's get back to the _Archangel_."

"_Sounds good._"

* * *

_Laurasia_-Class Frigate _Ziegler_, Holding Orbit over Gibraltar Base

Three Days Later

"_Gibraltar Weather Service reporting sunshine with a high of twelve degrees, humidity of forty-five percent,_" the comm. officer reported to the pilots sitting in their mobile suits in the hanger. "_Wind is from the west-northwest at twenty-seven kilometers per hour. And there's a low pressure warning off the Vanalona shore._"

"Then hurry up and launch us already," said Saul.

Nicol chuckled. "I forgot," he said. "You don't like orbital drops." Unlike the others, Saul had been to Earth previously.

"Shut up," said Saul. "They make me sick to my stomach." Athrun started to laugh. "Hey! You shut up too, Mr. I Can't Stay Awake For One Little Concert."

Nicol started to laugh as Athrun shut up. "He's got you there Athrun," he said. "_He_ didn't fall asleep like you did."

"_Attention. Deploying atmospheric reentry capsule in T-minus ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one._"

They all felt the slight shudder as the hangar was detached and began its descent to Gibraltar. Saul groaned as they started to feel the friction of atmospheric entry. He hated going through the atmosphere.

* * *

The Bridge of The _Archangel_

"There's no doubt about it," said Mu. "Those suits couldn't have come from any place other than a submarine carrier."

"A submarine carrier?" asked Murrue.

"ZAFT's _Vosgulov_-class submarine to be exact," said Victor, a mug of coffee in his hand. "Carpentaria is too far for them to be able to find us, attack and return. And had they been launched from a normal sea carrier, we would have picked them up. So that leaves a submarine carrier. This is the first time this ship has been on water, which means the crew isn't experienced in naval operations and isn't used to using sonar. They're following us. Sooner or later, they'll attack again."

"Any idea who it is?" asked Mu.

"Well…" said Victor. "I've been out of the loop for months and wasn't exactly highly placed, Alaric Team pilot or not. So I only know the big players who were stationed in this region six months ago. Commanders Marco Morassim and Zack Messa. But it could just as easily be some other commander. Either way, we'll have to take them out the next time."

"Any ideas?" asked Murrue.

"Give us some time," said Mu. "We'll come up with something."

* * *

Gibraltar Base

The drop capsule door opened, and the Blitz, the Aegis, the Surge and a blood red CGUE whose pilot had been extremely quiet exited the capsule and lined up alongside other mobile suits.

"Gah…" gasped Saul as he exited the Surge's cockpit.

He was thankful that he had made sure that he avoided eating anything before the drop. Otherwise… He shuddered at the thought of losing his breakfast with his helmet on.

"Hey come on Saul!" shouted Nicol. "We're supposed to meet up with the rest of the team."

"Yeah, I'm coming," he said as he descended from the cockpit.

The four made their way to the briefing room where the rest of the Le Creuset Team was waiting. "Please sir! Listen! I can get him! I know it!" they heard Yzak shout as they opened the opened the door.

"Calm down Yzak. You're acting far too emotionally," said Rau.

"Yzak… That scar…" said Athrun, staring at the large scar on his face.

"Wow," said Saul, chuckling. "Well, you ain't a pretty boy no more, Scarface."

Dearka laughed and Nicol chuckled as well. Yzak's anger was almost missed entirely as Erik laughed lightly as well, and not in the maniacal fashion that was all they'd previously heard when he was fighting.

"Shut up!" shouted Yzak, shooting death glares at him.

"Shame it only improved your looks and not your attitude as well."

Yzak looked ready to tear him apart. "The wound has healed," said Rau, breaking up the potential fight before it happened. "However, he's decided to keep the scar as a reminder until he's destroyed the Strike."

"Now that we're all here," said Zane, sitting down in an open chair, far calmer than any of the other red coats had previously seen him. "Why don't begin the briefing sir?"

"Yes. Everyone take a seat," said Rau. "The Earth Forces legged ship must be stopped from getting to Alaska with the data it's acquired. However, I'm afraid this mission has already been assigned to the Carpenteria base."

"But commander, that's our job!" said Yzak. "This is unfishined business for us!"

"I feel the same way commander," said Dearka

"I agree as well," said Zane coldly. "They've humiliated us again and again. We should be the ones to destroy that ship and its mobile suits."

Le Creuset waved his hand. "Needless to say, I feel the same way," he said. "

"We need to put aside personal vendettas as well," said Erik, glaring pointedly at Yzak, Dearka, and Zane, who shifted uneasily. They'd never seen Erik like that, so a glare pointed their way on his normally dull and monotone face was much more uncomfortable than it should've been. "The issue here isn't the data, either. I wouldn't be surprised if the Earth Forces already have data for preliminary production on mass-produced mobile suits. The problem is the pilots."

Erik leaned forward slightly. "Under other circumstances, I'd just leave it in Carpenteria's hands," he said. "After all, they're hardly incompetent over there. But those pilots are Coordinators. Which means we need the best we can send their way. That means either the Alaric Team, or the stolen prototypes. Since the Alaric Team is unavailable, that leaves us to do it."

Yzak blinked. "What are you talking about?" he demanded. "You think those traitors are that good? And why do you even care, if you think they've already got the data?"

"Because they can't use the suits yet," said Erik. "They've got the machines. What they _don't_ have is a Natural-friendly OS. And the legged ship, as it so happens, is carrying their best hope to create one."

"Coordinators with a talent for programming," said Saul, nodding in agreement. "I see what you mean."

Rau nodded as well. "Yes, you're right," he said. "And if you all feel so strongly about it anyway, there's no reason to keep you here when you could do us so much good out there. So, are you willing to try it yourselves?"

"Yes sir!" said Yzak, grinning.

"Then we'll form a team consisting of Dearka, Athrun, Yzak, Nicol, Zane, Erik and Saul," said Rau. "And your commander will be… let me see… Athrun, I'm putting you in charge."

The announcement of who the commander was shocked most of the group, but it was clear it did not please Yzak, who scowled at Athrun, or Zane, who seemed to be gritting his teeth in annoyance, though with him, it was difficult to say who he'd have preferred to be in command.

"I'll have you assigned to a submarine carrier in Carpentaria," continued Rau. "You should prepare to leave immediately."

"But why me Commander?" asked Athrun.

"That ship has been a real thorn in our side," said Rau, putting a hand on Athrun's shoulder. "It will not be easy, Athrun. I'm counting on you. Good luck." With that, the masked commander left the briefing room.

"So now we're the Zala Team?" said Dearka.

"I don't know," said Saul. "I kinda like the name. It has a nice ring to it."

"Hmph, this should be good," said Yzak, his voice dripping with annoyance and sarcasm.

"Yeah, it will be good," said Saul. "Certainly a lot better than being the Joule Team."

"Agreed," said Erik, an uncharacteristic smirk on his features.

"Hey!" said Yzak, gritting his teeth.

Athrun wasn't listening to the bickering. His thoughts were on the Strike and Kira. The next time they met, he'd have no choice but to destroy him…

* * *

The _Archangel_

The Next Day

"We have a sonar contact at seven o' clock," said Chandra. "It's a mobile suit signature."

"Are you sure?" asked Natarle.

"How many?" added Murrue.

"Matching sound signal," said Chandra. "We've got four GOOhNs, one unidentified."

"All hands, Level One Battlestations," ordered Murrue.

* * *

Elsewhere

Five submarine mobile suits sped through the water towards the wake of the massive warship, all quite confident that they'd win no matter what the pathetic Naturals tried to throw at them.

"Hmph, they're traveling through shallow waters," said Morassim. "Which is perfect for this ZnO. And since Le Creuset has already landed… we'd better sink that ship now!" With that, he began firing the ZnO's torpedoes, while his four companions likewise took aim and fired.

The ZnO's firepower was actually inferior to the GOOhN's, but it made up for it by having better underwater mobility, better stability on land, and superior close-combat ability. Even if the Strike and Dauntless had been lucky enough to beat the GOOhNs last time, all the luck in the world wouldn't save them against the combination of Morassim's skill and the superiority of his ZnO.

Ahead of the ZAFT forces, the legged ship rose into the air. The GOOhNs surface and opened fire with their back-mounted dart rifles, before diving under as the Earth Forces assault ship began to return fire.

* * *

_Archangel_ Hangar

Chris watched as the Strike was loaded into the starboard catapult, the hangar doors closing behind his friend's mobile suit. To everyone's general surprise, Makoto had ordered the Strike onto the catapult only because it took a moment to load Striker packs. She'd placed a higher priority on getting Mu and Liz launched.

The plan, as decided by Mu, Makoto, and Victor, was simple enough. When the attack came—now—Mu and Liz would launch and retrace the path of the ZAFT machines to their carrier, where'd they blow it to pieces. The Raven and Talos would be held back to defend the _Archangel_, since neither standardly equipped weapons with the sort of punch the Guardian and Lightning Skygrasper had. The Strike and Dauntless would deal with marine threats.

Unfortunately, something else had come up. Chris turned his gaze to where Cagalli was arguing with Chief Murdoch, who was refusing to let her pilot the second Skygrasper again. He was obviously still peeved over her stunt back at the Talbadiya battle.

"Just let her pilot the thing already!" shouted Victor as he climbed into his fully repaired and modified GINN. "Stubborn girl."

Murdoch finally conceded, and a mechanic retrieved a helmet for Cagalli, which she put on before scrambling into the fighter.

"_Alright, listen up girls,_" said Mu as he moved onto the catapult. "_The three of us are gonna hunt down their carrier while the rest of the team stays back to defend the _Archangel_._"

"_The name's Cagalli,_" said the blonde, sounding rather irritable.

"_Jeez, are you always so high-strung?_" asked Liz.

"_I'm not high-strung!_" Cagalli shouted back.

"_Yes, you are,_" said Liz calmly. "_It's a very repelling feature of yours. I doubt there's many people that find you attractive because of that attitude._"

"_Shut up!_" shouted Cagalli as the first Skygrasper took off, Mu shaking his head the whole way. "_I bet you're now gonna try to hook me up with some guy you know!_"

"_Nah, I don't know any good guys that would date you,_" said Liz cheerfully got clearance for launch and the Aqua Striker finished loading onto Kira's machine, thanks to a mild malfunction in the loading mechanism. "_Truth be told, I've never been attracted to guys anyway. Guardian, launching!_"

"_Wait… what? Was she trying to hit on me?_" asked Cagalli incredulously as Liz cleared the catapult and her own machine began moving to follow.

Chris started laughing. "No," he said. "While she does swing that way, she doesn't find you attractive in the slightest. I think she said that you're too much like a guy for her taste."

"_For the last time, I'm a girl!_"

"Personally, I think the jury's still out on that," said Chris. They heard Makoto chuckling.

"_You should have seen her in that dress at Waltfeld's place,_" she said. "_The guy was right. The perfect little lady, until she opened her mouth anyway._"

"_Whatever!_" said Cagalli, growling loudly. They could practically hear her grinding her teeth. "_Cagalli! Skygrasper Two, launching!_"

While Cagalli was throwing a fit, Chris was smirking rather smugly, eyeing the Dauntless as it moved onto the catapult Kira had just vacated.

"Doesn't matter, if you ask me," he said, knowing that Cagalli was still in radio range. The only pilots that might not be listening were Mu and Liz, depending on how far away they'd gotten. "You could be the most effeminate person on the planet and she'd never go for you. She's had her eyes on someone else for awhile now."

"_Huh?_"

"_Alright, enough chatter,_" said Makoto. "_We've got a job to do, remember? Chris, I'll be certain to inform your sister of those last few sentences. Makoto Arata, Dauntless, taking off!_" Chris audibly gulped as the Dauntless cleared the catapult and he and Victor were moved into place.

"_Looks like we'll be working as a team again,_" commented Victor, apparently agreeing with Makoto wholeheartedly. "_Hope we're as effective as we were at Talbadiya._"

"You and me both," said Chris. "Chris Dante, Raven, launching!"

"_Victor Cain, Talos, launching!_"

* * *

Underwater

Kira, aided by his experience from the previous battle, had little difficulty evading the GOOhNs attacks, despite being heavily outnumbered for the first minute or so before Makoto launched. And she, too, was having little difficulty with dodging.

Fighting back was proving a little tougher for both, though. The GOOhNs kept their distance, and were far better oriented towards that sort of fighting. Both Gundams suffered from a critical lack of firepower underwater. To win, they'd have to outmaneuver the GOOhNs, a task far easier for Kira than Makoto.

Nevertheless, they were both performing exceptionally. As a GOOhN fired a barrage of torpedoes at the Strike, Kira deftly evaded, and returned fire with his Igelstellungs and torpedoes. The GOOhN's speed saved it, though, and the few Igelstellung rounds that hit it did no significant damage. The second GOOhN fired its phonon masers at the Strike with impressive accuracy, and Kira internally cursed himself for not thinking to grab a shield, which the Aqua Striker didn't standardly come with. He evaded, barely, the soundwave beam passing between the Strike's torso and arm, and moved behind a large outcropping of rocks for cover. The rocks were destroyed, but they fulfilled their purpose of protecting Kira from the attack.

An alarm sounded, and Kira dodged aside as torpedoes flew at him.

"That's it! I got him!" shouted Morassim as he shifted the ZnO from submarine to mobile suit mode. "You guys go after the ship!"

The ZnO fired its hand-mounted phonon masers, but they lacked the accuracy the GOOhN pilot had, and Kira dodged aside. Kira's eyes narrowed. The machine was a little faster than a GOOhN, which would make things more difficult. As if that weren't enough, it seemed likely the pilot was the ZAFT commander himself.

"I'm gonna tear that machine to pieces with this ZnO!" shouted Morassim, swinging a clawed hand at the Strike. "Get ready punk!"

Kira took advantage of his enemy's approach to attack with a heat sword, but the ZAFT machine shifted to the side and lashed out again. Kira evaded back, but the larger machine suddenly fired its chest-mounted torpedoes at nearly point-blank range, leaving Kira no room to dodge.

Makoto, meanwhile, was facing her own problems. She'd taken advantage of being largely ignored by the ZAFT pilots to close in and destroy one of the GOOhNs with a quick strike from the Exia, but the other pilots didn't repeat the mistake. One machine stayed behind to fight her while the remaining two continued on course for the _Archangel_.

The GOOhN fired, its phonon masers, and Makoto defended with her shield and the small shield attached to the Exia. She then returned fire with her machine guns, but the Igelstellungs and shoulder cannons were less powerful and accurate in the water. The GOOhN retaliated with torpedoes, which she destroyed using her Igelstellungs.

The GOOhN then sped away from her before coming about rapidly and firing repeatedly with its torpedo launchers and dart rifle.

"Damn it!" cried Makoto as the machine continued to push her back. With the pilots weary of her, and Kira unavailable to assist, she was in serious trouble.

* * *

Gibraltar Base

Athrun waited in the passenger compartment of his transport plane as the pilots went through their final check. The others had left hours ago, but his plane had been grounded because of mechanical problems that they had only just fixed.

"Sorry for the delay," said the pilot, looking back through the door to the cockpit at Athrun. "We'll be leaving shortly."

"No problem," said Athrun, fastening his seatbelt. It was a little humiliating that the first day of his first command had been plagued with a mechanical delay, but he didn't have Yzak's idiotic pride driving him. If he was superstitious, though, he might have taken it as an omen of dark things to come…

* * *

Elsewhere

The Guardian and Skygraspers flew over the water, searching for the submarine carrier that the mobile suits were coming from. Fortunately for them, the _Varnass_ was already preparing to surface so it could launch its DINNs at the _Archangel_.

"There it is," said Mu. "Let's go girls!"

"_That's Cagalli!_" said the blonde angrily. The two Earth Forces officers both shook their heads in exasperation.

The two Skygraspers took aim and launched anti-sub missiles at the submarine. An explosion told them that at least one had hit, and the submarine began to surface.

"Okay," said Mu as the shadow of the submarine grew. "Here they come. You ready?"

"_You bet,_" said Cagalli before suddenly turning her Skygrasper towards the surfacing submarine.

"Make sure you don't go to low, or you'll be swimming," warned Mu.

"_Shoot!_" said Cagalli, pulling up as the sub broke the surface, just barely avoiding crashing into the ship.

"You fool, I warned you!" said Mu.

"_Hey, don't you call me a fool!_" said Cagalli.

"_Then don't act like one!_" said Liz, taking aim at the center of the submarine with her entire array of weapons as the vertical catapults began opening, preparing to launch DINNs at them.

"Oh no you don't," said Mu, bringing his fighter around to take aim with the electromagnetic cannon.

Mu and Liz fired at the same time, both aiming at the same spot, creating a massive explosion as the sub literally split in two where they'd struck it, explosions blossoming out from the fissure towards the bow and aft of the vessel.

"_Did we get it?_" asked Cagalli, staring at the pillar of smoke and fire on the water.

Suddenly, a pair of DINNs emerged from the smoke, firing on Cagalli's Skygrasper. The blonde barely avoided receiving a fatal blow, but one of the DINNs managed to hit her fighter. Mu and Liz fired at the aerial mobile suits, driving them away from the damaged fighter.

"Are you okay? Asked Mu.

"_Yeah,_" replied Cagalli. "_It's only my navigation system._"

"Head back to the _Archangel_," said Mu. "We'll handle the DINNs."

"_No! I can still fight!_" said Cagalli.

"Head back! You're only getting in the way now!" shouted Mu.

"_Fine,_" growled Cagalli, heading for the _Archangel_.

Mu and Liz broke apart, each heading after their own DINN.

The Guardian spun, twisted, and turned at angles that would be utterly impossible in any ordinary fighter, frustrating the DINN pilot. However, the veteran suddenly grinned as he finally got on the Guardian's tale, and took aim with everything he had.

Liz smirked, hitting the control for the transformation mechanism.

The Guardian suddenly shifted to mobile suit mode, bringing itself entirely around, and shifted back to mobile armor mode, using its tremendous speed to close with the DINN before the pilot could react. The Guardian's wing-mounted beam blades cut through the DINN's thin armor like tissue paper.

Mu, meanwhile, was enjoying himself with the other DINN pilot, who simply couldn't match the speed and skill the Hawk of Endymion brought to his fighter. As the DINN's chest-mounted launchers fired a collection of small missiles at him, he wove through them, helping to clear a path with his machine guns, and after a bit of tail-chasing, settled into position behind the DINN. The pilot couldn't simply spin around, like Liz enjoyed doing before shifting back to mobile armor form, without risking being shot down.

Mu then grinned as a new idea occurred to him. He aimed a missile slightly to the right of the DINN, firing, then shifted and fired one at the DINN's left arm.

The pilot, demonstrating the good judgment that had no doubt seen him through many previous battles, evaded to the left, away from the missile rather than into its path, but ended up falling for Mu's trap by instead flying into the first missile.

The explosive took off the DINN's right arm, but far more importantly, it jarred the mobile suit, and Mu took advantage of it, firing the electromagnetic cannon.

The DINN never stood a chance, the powerful blast tearing through it like it wasn't even there.

"Got him!" said Mu triumphantly. "Come on, let's head back to the ship."

* * *

With the _Archangel_

A GOOhN surfaced and fired on the _Archangel_ before retreating back into the water just as a trio of sniper rounds struck the surface where it had been. Victor grit his teeth as the Talos rode over the water on the Raven. What he wouldn't give for Commander Alaric's skill in this situation.

Suddenly, the two attacking GOOhNs surfaced on opposite sides of the two airborne mobile suits, firing torpedoes. Chris managed to evade them, and Victor finally got a good fix on one of them.

But just as he was about to pull the trigger, a barrage of torpedoes flew his way. He couldn't react in time. Fortunately, Chris could, rolling them over to use the Raven's own body as a shield to protect the Talos. Unfortunately, this upset Victor's aim, and he missed the GOOhN he'd been aiming for. Worse, the attack knocked the Raven—and by extension, the Talos—out of the sky and into the GOOhNs playground.

Chris swore as the Raven sank under the water. A GOOhN suddenly slammed into him, the pilot figuring himself safe, knowing that the Raven didn't have any solid close-combat weapons. Unfortunately, he made a fatal mistake, as the Raven grabbed hold of the front of the GOOhN.

"This isn't he Strike!" said Chris. "The Raven's guns aren't beam weapons!"

He jammed the barrels of his railgun into the GOOhN's underbelly and fired repeatedly. The rounds tore clean through the GOOhN's body. A second later, it exploded, pushing the Raven back.

"Damn, I hate fighting underwater," said Chris, heading for the surface.

Meanwhile, Victor was demonstrating just why he'd been a pilot for the Alaric Team. His sniper rifle and newly-installed beam sabers might be useless underwater, but his machine gun and CGUE swords were more than up to the challenge of a GOOhN.

Victor filled the ocean with bullets, the shots aimed with great precision, scoring numerous minor hits. The GOOhN pilot, finally fed up with him, repeated the mistake they'd all come to associate with ZAFT grunts in non-humanoid mobile suits, tackling the Talos in an attempt to fire its phonon masers at point-blank range.

Unfortunately for him, Victor had anticipated that move, so as soon as the GOOhN moved toward him, he reached back towards his sword. And now that they'd collided, he snatched one of the swords from his back and slashed at the GOOhN's shoulder. He then kicked it back, and leapt at it himself—as best that could be done underwater, anyway—stabbing his sword straight through the heart of the mobile suit. The GOOhN detonated.

Elsewhere, Makoto continued to struggle against her opponent. Her attempts to reach the surface had been fruitless, constantly cutoff by the GOOhN's attacks, and the pilot wasn't foolish enough to get close to her.

Frustrated, Makoto changed tactics, and let a barrage of torpedoes hit her, much to the surprise of the GOOhN pilot, who moved cautiously forward to confirm the kill, confirming Makoto's suspicion as she watched from her hiding place. The ZAFT pilots were largely ignorant to the true power of Phase Shift Armor.

Suddenly, Makoto leapt up from her hiding place. The Exia flashed and her long-running battle with the GOOhN ended as the submarine mobile suit exploded.

Not far away, the battle between the Strike and ZnO was still raging. A wave of torpedoes struck the Strike, knocking it back. Kira tried to get the Strike moving again, but the ZnO shifted to its faster submarine mode and slammed into the Strike, dragging Kira along. Kira took advantage of this, though, to fire torpedoes at near point-blank. The ZnO backed off, escaping the blast, shifting back to mobile suit mode.

Kira took advantage of the brief opening and stabbed his heat sword into the ZnO's shoulder blade, but after a brief tussle, the ZAFT machine wrapped its claw around the Strike's head, pushing the smaller machine onto the sea floor with its weight. Kira saw the glow of the hand-mounted phonon maser charging.

"Oh no you don't!" said Kira, springing his assault knives. He grabbed hold of them and drove then into the neck area between the mobile suit's head and torpedo tubes. He then grabbed hold of the machine and kicked it, flipping it off of him. The ZnO exploded.

"_Nice work Kira,_" said Makoto, and Kira looked up to see the Dauntless approaching. Makoto stopped next to him and extended a hand to help him up. "_Seems like that was the last of them. Let's head back to the ship._"

"Sounds good," said Kira, accepting his commanding officer's help.

* * *

Elsewhere

"Is this the way back to the _Archangel_?" muttered Cagalli, speaking to herself as she tried to get her bearings.

That's when she spotted it. A ZAFT transport place flying east.

"What's that doing out here?" she questioned herself, then shook her head. "If they're reinforcements, then I have no choice but to shoot it down."

One of the ZAFT plane's turrets fired on her. Cagalli turned away, preparing for a strafing run.

"Damn!" said the transport pilot. "Hurry up and get into your mobile suit. If it comes to it, we'll eject you and your mobile suit.

"But—"

"Go!" said the pilot, cutting off Athrun's objection. "We'll be a disgrace to ZAFT if we take our cargo down with us."

"Alright," said Athrun, somewhat reluctantly, heading for the cargo hold.

Cagalli, meanwhile, scored a direct hit on the plane's right wing. But one of the transport's turrets hit her Skygrasper. Both aircraft started going down.

"Damn," said the pilot. "We were fools to think we had air superiority. I can't hold it much longer. We have to eject you."

"_What about you?_" asked Athrun as he powered up the Aegis.

"Don't worry about us," said the copilot. "We'll bail out once we lighten our laod."

The cargo hatch opened and the Aegis was ejected from the plane. Elsewhere, Cagalli frantically struggled to keep her fighter in the air for as long as possible when she spotted an island. She knew her only chance was to land in the waters near it. That is, if she survived the crash.

Cagalli screamed as the Skygrasper hit the water, skimming across the waves. The fighter came to a stop in the shallow waters of the island, and Cagalli breathed a sigh of relief.

"I made it," she said.

She then tried to get in touch with the _Archangel_. But the fighter's radio was dead, and she wasn't certain it could cut through the N-jammer interference anyways. Seeing no other choice, she swam the short distance to the island. Nothing left to do but wait for rescue…

* * *

Aboard the _Archangel_

An Hour Later

"Where did we lose Cagalli?" asked Murrue. "Anything on the radio?"

"No ma'am," said Mir. "Nothing."

"There's too much radar interference," said Chandra. "So far, I can only confirm that she left the combat zone."

"Should we list her as MIA?" asked Natarle, though she sounded somewhat reluctant about voicing that thought.

"I think you're jumping to conclusions, Lieutenant Badgiruel," said Murrue. "How much longer until sunset?"

"An hour ma'am," replied Natarle.

"Very well," said Murrue. "I want you to talk with Lieutenant Arata. Have her prepare her team to search for her. She's fairly gifted for judging what sort of force is necessary for missions."

"Yes ma'am," said Natarle without hesitation. "But what if we don't find her before we leave the area?"

"Then we'll have no choice but to list her as MIA," admitted Murrue. "Though I don't like that thought at all."

"Don't worry," said Natarle, though there was an uncertainty there, probably because she wasn't used to reassuring people on things that weren't purely military matters. "I'm sure we'll find her."

Murrue smiled. "Thanks Natarle," she said.

* * *

Several Hours Later

Chris yawned as he walked back to his quarters. Makoto's plans for their search for Cagalli had been to rotate them regularly, Chris searching from the air while Kira searched from the ocean, and Liz and Makoto replacing them a few hours later in the same setup. But so far, the search had been fruitless. The ocean was a huge place. She could be anywhere. But Kira and Makoto were insistent that they keep on searching for her. And truth be told, if he weren't so tired, he would have backed them up. But it was getting late and he was drained from the battle earlier today and the subsequent search. Makoto had finally conceded that they couldn't do any searching at night, which was fortunate, since she did have the authority to order them to continue the search. The mobile suits, with the exception of the Talos, were under her command, after all.

That was when Flay appeared, a somewhat nervous smile on her face as she approached him.

"Hi Chris," she said, sounding as nervous as her smile indicated.

"Hey. What can I do for you?" he asked.

"Well…" she said hesitantly. "There's something I want to tell you… but I'm… I'm just not sure how to say it."

"Then say it."

"Well… I've been thinking about things since we left the desert and… I… I…"

_What's she so nervous about?_ he thought as Flay tried to speak.

Suddenly, Flay's lips met his own, paralyzing him with surprise. He knew it was wrong. That they shouldn't be kissing. But all thoughts almost instantly melted away. He stood there, stunned for a few seconds before he responded, his arms wrapping around her and returning the kiss.

Unbeknownst to either of them, Sai had walked into the hallway at that very moment…

* * *

After hours of being on duty with no break, Sai, Tolle, Mir, and Flay were finally having their dinner. With the search for Cagalli now hold until morning, the Captain had ended their shifts for the night. While everyone else was devouring their meals, Flay was hardly touching her food. "What's wrong, Flay?" asked Sai.

"Nothing… It's nothing," she replied.

Sai knew something was bothering her, but didn't press it. Ever since they left the desert, she had been distant from just about everyone. Expect for Chris. Sai might have been a bit concerned about what was going on between the two of them, if it hadn't been for Chris's words to him after they first landed on Earth, when he was first concerned about the two of them being alone together.

"_I have no intention of stealing Flay from you, Sai," said Chris. "I'm just trying to help her out with her grief over her father's death. You two are arranged to be married. I'm not gonna come between you. You have my word."_

And he managed to brighten up Flay's mood after her father's death. So he was thankful to Chris for his help. And yeah, maybe a little jealous at the amount of time Flay had lately been spending with Chris.

"Excuse me. I'll be right back," said Flay, standing up.

"Flay? Where you going?"

"Uh… I just need to do something," she said, heading for the doorway.

"What?"

"… Nothing Sai," said Flay as she left.

Now Sai was growing worried. Why was Flay acting so strange lately? Sai couldn't sit back anymore. He was going to find out what was bothering her. He sat up. "Excuse me. I'm going to see what's bothering her," he told the others.

He left the mess hall. He wasn't sure where she went. He figured he'd start at the crew quarters first. A couple minutes later, he rounded a corner and froze. Flay and Chris were standing there, embracing and kissing.

Sai was shocked. His Flay was kissing one of friends. A friend that swore that he wouldn't try anything like this.

They finally broke free of their kiss, but they were still in a loose hug. Flay's back was to him. "Flay… I… I…" mumbled Chris, trying to speak. Then he looked up and saw him. "Sai…" he said in horror and guilt.

Flay broke the hug and turned around. Her expression was the same as his. But Sai was too hurt and betrayed to noticed. Sai found himself at a loss for words.

"Flay… Chris… Why… WHY?!" he shouted. "Were you lying to me this whole time, Chris?! How long have you been doing this behind my back?!"

Chris knew he should have let Flay kiss him. He should have pushed her away. But he hadn't. Instead, he kissed her back. As much as he wanted to deny it. To ignore it. To reject it. He had fallen for her. He didn't know how or why he had fallen in love with her, but he realized he didn't care how or why.

God… It was like some bad soap opera.

"Sai… I'm sorry," said Chris, trying to reason with him. "I never wanted to come between you two… But… I… I never meant to fall in love with her… It just happened—"

"SHUT UP!" screamed Sai, tackling Chris.

The two fell to the ground, Sai landing on top of him. Chris raised his head, only for Sai's fist to hit him. More punches hit his face. Sai knew nothing about fighting; in fact, he was pretty much your average nerd. Smart, not all that physically strong. But he was furious, fueling his strength. After receiving a few more blows to the head, Chris grabbed one of Sai's incoming fists and punched Sai in face, knocking Sai off of him. Chris stood up, wiping the blood from his nose. "Listen to me, Sai. I never meant for this to happen. I never wanted to come between the two of you. It just happen-GAH!"

Sai's leg shot up, hitting him in the place that hurts regardless of whether one was Coordinator or Natural. Now he was beginning to get mad. Sai just wasn't listening to anything he said. Sai got up and punched him again. Chris grabbed his fist and punched Sai in the stomach. Sai stumbled back and Chris followed up with more punches. One last blow to Sai's face and he fell to the ground. "I think you've had enough," said Chris, leaning up against a wall, breathing heavily.

Sai was lying on the ground, breathing just as heavily. Flay just stood there with an expression of horror and guilt on her face. "Well… Are you two done slapping each around? Or are you going to go at it a bit more?" said Victor, standing some feet behind him.

"I'm done," said Chris.

Sai didn't say anything.

"You teens and your hormones," said Victor, moving towards the two. "You're almost as bad as Cagalli. Almost."

He helped Sai up to his feet. "Come on. Let's get you cleaned up. Girl… Flay, right?"

"Ah… Yeah…" said Flay meekly.

"Why don't you take Chris and help get him cleaned up," said Victor before sighing. "I'll talk with the officers about this. There's certainly no point in hiding it."

A few minutes later, they were in the men's washroom. He was leaning over a sink while Flay was wiping the blood from his face with a damp cloth. His lip and nose were bleeding. There were a few bruises forming on his face as well.

Chris sighed. "We shouldn't have done that. You're arranged to marry Sai. And I'm his friend. I swore this won't happen," he said. "Yet it did. I didn't want it to happen. I didn't want to admit it when it did happen. But the truth is, I began to feel something for you."

"I've realized, for a while now, that my feelings for Sai were never truly love," said Flay. "I thought those feelings were love, but when I started to spend more and more time with you, I found myself feeling true feelings of love and it wasn't for Sai. It was for you. But I didn't want to hurt Sai like that. I wanted to break it up with gently."

"Looks like it's a little too late for that," said Chris with a sigh.

* * *

_Archangel_ Rear Deck

"How long have you known?" asked Kisaka as Makoto locked the door to the rear deck. Only a senior officer would be able to disturb them now.

"Well, I had my suspicions pretty much from the start," said Makoto, walking over to the railing. "But I didn't know for sure until that meeting at Desert Dawn HQ, when I first heard her name." Makoto then smirked as she turned to face Kisaka. "And how about you? How long have you known who I was, Colonel?"

"About as long as you knew about Cagalli and I," said Kisaka, ignoring her use of his actual military rank. "Though I admit, while Cagalli comes as no surprise, I would've expected it to take you longer to realize who I was."

"It did," admitted Makoto. "Not much longer, but it did. Aunt Serenity will kill me if she finds out I didn't recognize Cagalli at Heliopolis, though."

Makoto then sighed, looking out to the sea again.

"We'll find her Kisaka," promised Makoto. "I know it."

* * *

The Deserted Island

The Next Morning

Athrun stared at the dead fire while the girl sat at the opposite side of the cave. It had been an interesting night with the girl that had forced his plane down, to say the least. After several attempts to kill each other and several heated arguments, the two had come to a quiet little ceasefire. The funny thing was that despite the fact they spent the night together in cave, he had no idea what her name was.

Suddenly, the comm. device on his wrist started beeping. Someone was trying to reach him. Athrun got up and headed for the Aeigs's cockpit. He opened up the comm. line. A familiar voice came on the line.

"_Athrun. Can you hear me? Please respond,_" said the voice.

"Nicol, is that you?" asked Athrun, seeking confirmation, just as his training told him too.

"_Yeah!_" said Nicol."_Don't worry Athrun. We can get a fix on your position from this transmission._"

"What is it?" called the girl from outside.

"The radio's working!" he replied.

Suddenly, there was a different beeping.

"What the?" said Athrun, glancing at the screen.

Someone else had picked up on the distress signal and was heading this way by sea. But the ZAFT rescue team wouldn't get here until after them. Athrun climbed out of the cockpit. "A ZAFT team is coming to pick me up. But another ship picked up the signal and is heading this way. They're coming this way on sea from the direction of your fighter," he said. "I have to hide the Aegis before they get here. I don't want this place to become a battlefield."

"Right," said the girl. "I better get back to my aircraft before they get here then."

She paused for a moment, unsure of what to say before she headed back to her Skygrasper. So she settled for something simple. "Bye."

Athrun watched the girl leave for her aircraft. "Hey!" he called out. "Are you sure you're not with the Earth Forces?"

The girl turned back. "No. I'm not."

_They're not even soldiers, yet…_ thought Athrun as images of Kira and images of his brief encounter with the Raven's pilot filled his mind.

"Hey!" shouted the girl, distracting him from his thoughts. "I'm Cagalli! What's your name?"

"Athrun!" he called back.

Cagalli nodded and headed back to fighter while Athrun climbed back into the Aegis to move it to place where he could hide it for a while, until Cagalli's rescue party left the area and Nicol and the others came for him.

* * *

_Archangel_ Captain's Office

One Week Later

Makoto sighed as she sat down in one of the offered seats. She, along with Mu, Natarle, and Victor, had been called for a meeting of the senior officers by Murrue to discuss a new strategy, since everything so far had been a spectacular failure.

While they hadn't seen any action for the week following Cagalli's rescue from that deserted island, they'd more than made up for it in the Strait of Malacca. A large ZAFT force had been waiting in ambush, and although they hadn't suffered any serious damage, everyone was exhausted, and the pilots had more than a few extra kills added for each of them, though Cagalli had been unable to fight, since they'd need to make port before they could repair the damage Skygrasper 2 had taken (Makoto thought this was a good thing, as she was certain the girl would get herself killed if she flied that thing again).

"So, what do we do now?" asked Mu. Everyone glanced at each other, before all eyes turned to Victor for his opinion. The sniper pilot shrugged uncomfortably.

"To be honest, I don't know," he said. "I'm sorry, but I can't offer you any more advise for evading ZAFT. They're just too determined to bring this ship down."

Natarle sighed. "I think that at this point, we should forgo further stealth tactics," she said. "I'm beginning to think our best bet is to maintain maximum cruising speed and head straight for Alaska."

The others seemed to agree, but Makoto frowned as she stared at the map on the wall, specifically a collection of small islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

"Makoto?" asked Murrue, since the redhead was the only one who hadn't voiced agreement.

"They'll be expecting that," she said, shaking her head. "I don't think we can avoid them at all. Gut instinct is telling me the Le Creuset Team will be joining the pursuit soon. I doubt there's any tactic in the world to evade them. So we need to adopt a tactic that will confound the commanders at Carpenteria and evade their forces, leaving us with just the Le Creuset Team to deal with."

"I guess that makes sense," said Natarle. "Do you have any suggestions?"

Makoto nodded. "One," she said. "Orb."

Her statement was met with dead silence.

"Are you crazy?" asked Victor, shaking his head. "Orb's military may be small, but it would take an _army_ to survive the force they can bring against anyone entering their territory. What you're suggesting is insane."

"Oh, I know," said Makoto. "I'm quite familiar with the power of Orb's military. Let's not forget, either, that Orb is a Coordinator-friendly nation, so there's little doubt they have Coordinators in their military. Add in some of the technology they've no doubt gotten through their assistance of the Earth Forces G Project, and we can expect some dangerous opponents. But I'm not proposing we go to Orb directly. Instead, I think we should use their territory as a via point on our trip to Alaska. We can also contact them with requests to pick up the onboard civilians—Cagalli doesn't want to go to Alaska, Kisaka will follow her, and Johanna was only planning to stick around before heading back to Orb. It makes sense, right?"

"Yes," said Murrue, before turning to Natarle, deciding to consult the Deputy Commander as well. "Lieutenant Badgiruel? Do you think Lieutenant Arata's plan has merit?"

"It sounds like a good plan," said Natarle. "Mr. Cain, do you think it will throw off the Carpenteria forces?"

"Victor, please," said the sniper. "And yes, I think it will. Not someone as crafty as Le Creuset, but you've dealt with them before, so if we can just get the Carpenteria forces off our back, we should be able to make it."

"Very well then," said Murrue. "I guess it's decided. We'll make our way to Alaska via the Orb Union."

Makoto was glad they'd all agreed. What she didn't tell them was that her motivation was something else entirely. On the battlefield, the light she saw around herself, Kira, and Chris grew. She could… see… feel… whatever it was that she did, from much farther away. And she'd identified three other people with that same light. Athrun and Zane were two of them. The last was Cagalli. And she didn't know how or why, but she saw all six of their lights crossing paths, converging on a single point in space and time… an explosion of light engulfed them… and when it ended, they were scattered, slowly pulling back towards one another. She couldn't make everything out clearly, but one thing had been apparent to her.

Cagalli's light had been destroyed. Makoto knew, somehow, what that meant.

And for that reason, she had to get Cagalli off of the _Archangel_. _Before_ all six lights came together for that explosion.

* * *

Rear Observation Deck

A Few Hours Later

"It seems you'll be going home soon," said Makoto to Cagalli. The blonde looked at her uncertainly.

"What do you mean?" asked Cagalli as Kisaka turned his own eyes to Makoto.

"We're going to make our way to Alaska via Orb," said Makoto. "When we pass by, we'll send a request for them to pick up our passengers. Let me see… one Morgenroete employee, one Orb military officer, and the daughter of Uzumi Nara Athha."

"What?!" exclaimed Cagalli, stepping back in shock. "You… how did you…"

"You give things away too easily," said Makoto, chuckling. "If I didn't know before, that would've confirmed it. But I've known since that first Desert Dawn meeting, when I first heard your name. Can't say I'm surprised that you don't remember me, though."

"What are you talking about?" demanded Cagalli, turning her shock, surprise, and fear into nothing but anger. "How do you know all this?"

Makoto smirked at the blonde almost dangerously.

"Ever hear of Misuumi Taiyonoha?" she asked as she turned and stalked away, practically able to feel Cagalli's eyes widening behind her.

"You're…"

* * *

**Author's Notes: Yes, I am evil. Utterly evil. Don't bother with the death threats, I can already see the masses sharpening spears and preparing various torture techniques just for me. This is why I put in so much effort to remain anonymous. Because if I don't, eventually, I'll wake up one morning to find myself horribly mutilated, my body riddled with archaic weapons.**

**In any event, Makoto's identity will be revealed next chapter, which isn't surprising, since it seems Cagalli now knows it as well. So stick around.**

**Now, regarding the chapter itself: I really enjoyed this one. The battles, I think, we're good, and we get a lot of different POVs outside of the battles. There's a lot of interaction going on here, so it's no surprise that this ended up being so long. The last leg focused largely on Makoto, for a few reasons, but the major one is because we get to learn about her next chapter. Her strange powers in relation to the SEED are mildly showcased here, with her somehow knowing Cagalli will die if she stays with the _Archangel_. I can't wait for the rest of this story.**

**And that's why I'm focusing on this. The other stuff is largely on Hiatus. I might do a bit of writing for the others here or there, but _SEED Dauntless_ is my focus. I want to get this story caught up with the original, so that I don't have to worry about anything that might hint at future events or other such stuff being spoiled. ^_^**

**Please leave a review everyone! Ja ne!**


	16. Phase 15: Land of Serenity

**FINALLY! Sorry this has taken so long. I know a lot of you are ready to kill me over it, but you shouldn't be dissatisfied with what has been brought to you with this chapter. At over 7500 words, its a decent length, and it reveals the long-awaited answer to the question of Makoto's identity. Let me summarize the clues, as best I can recall them without re-reading to find them all, and we'll see who can figure it out without reading the chapter proper:**

**First, Makoto understands politics and recognizes the state of relations within ZAFT and the Earth Alliance.  
Second, her parents were highly placed Morgenroete employees.  
Third, she only arrived at Heliopolis maybe two or three months before the ZAFT attack.  
Fourth, she had access to Orb intelligence at some point shortly before coming to Heliopolis.  
Fifth, she thought it would be amusing to see the public fallout Garcia would bring on Eurasia if he tried to draft her.  
Sixth, she knew all about the Alaric Team's reputation.  
Seventh, she knew Lacus Clyne and attended a major party at Orb.  
Eighth, she is aware of Lacus's engagement to Athrun.  
Ninth, Halberton knew of her, and had in fact seen her at the aforementioned Orb party.  
Tenth, her martial arts instructor was a man named Misuumi Taiyonoha.  
Eleventh, she has an aunt named Serenity who she lived with and specifically states is a politician.  
Twelfth, her aunt would accompany her on some of her trips with Master Misuumi.  
Thirteenth, she knew who both Cagalli and Kisaka were, and they, in turn, realized who she was in the last chapter.**

**Well, let's see what people can make of that. It's obvious, if you read between the lines. No, I'm serious, read between the lines, I put a full-blown plot exposition there in really really small print.**

**Also, note that Makoto's identity is something I have told no one. And I do mean _no one_. Not even Akatsuki Leader 13 knew Makoto's identity.  
**

**Alright, enough of that, I'm sure you're all dying to get to the chapter, so I'll just leave the (extra long) disclaimer.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED or any of its characters or mecha. The Original Characters Chris Dante, Liz Dante, Johanna Dante, Samuel Dante, Zane Scirocco, Saul Kessel, and Diana Kessel are the property of Akatsuki Leader13. I do not own the Original Mecha GAT-X302 Raven Gundam or GAT-X204 Surge Gundam, which are likewise the property of Akatsuki Leader13. I do own the Original Characters Makoto Arata, Erik Saharin, Misuumi Taiyonoha, Serenity, and Shizuka. I also own the Original Mecha GAT-X106 Dauntless Gundam, GAT-X308 Guardian Gundam, GAT-X104 Resolute Gundam, the GINN High-Maneuver Type Victor Cain Custom "Talos", CGUE Assault Shroud Zane Scirocco Custom, the AQM/E-X04 Gunbarrel Striker Pack (this incarnation, anyways), AQM/E-X06 Stealth Striker Pack, and AQM/E-X08 Aqua Striker Pack.  
**

* * *

Phase Fifteen: Land of Serenity

March 23rd, C.E. 71

* * *

Outside Orb Union Territory

Lost cause, doomed, and hopeless were good words to describe the situation they were in, Makoto decided.

The _Archangel_ shuddered under another shot from the Buster, the pilot far more accurate than their last battle with him. The Strike and Talos were both shipbound, with the Raven unable to provide support since Chris needed to be able to transform at will against these enemies.

Smoke poured out of several of the _Archangel_'s thrusters and a few small holes in the ship. The crimson CGUE fired its thermal cannon at the ship, further battering it. The Raven, in mobile mode, chased after the Guul-mounted CGUE as a Launcher-equipped Skygrasper chased after the Buster. The Guardian, meanwhile, had its attention on the Aegis. Talos was taking targets of opportunity with its sniper rifle, while the IWSP-equipped Strike exchanged fire with the Duel.

The Dauntless, of course, was facing the Resolute. All in all, Makoto seemed to be doing the best of the defenders, simply by virtue of keeping the Resolute's overwhelming firepower off of the _Archangel_.

"Nicol, Saul, flank the ship and target its engines!" ordered Athrun as he exchanged fire with the Guardian. Overall, things weren't in his favor for this personal fight, but the overall battle was going ZAFT's way.

And, if they crippled its engines, the legged ship would be dead in the water. They'd have no choice but to surrender, and Athrun wouldn't have to worry about killing Kira, as the boy would either be sent to Orb or held in the PLANTs.

"Target the Guuls! The flight platforms!" shouted Victor, firing his rifle at one of them. "They can't fight if they can't stay in the air!"

"_You say that likes it's _so_ easy,_" came Makoto's sarcastic voice as she broke away from the Resolute, dodging fire from its gatling guns and a few missiles.

Meanwhile, the Blitz and Surge raced around the sides of the _Archangel_, avoiding or shooting down missiles that were fired at them. As soon as he was in position, Nicol took aim and fired off his lancer darts into one of the _Archangel_'s linear cannons, destroying it. As soon as he was finished, he turned his attention to the engines with Saul, and both began firing their beam rifles, badly jarring the warship.

Seeing this, Chris tried to intercept with the Raven, but hadn't even flown fifty meters before being knocked off-course by a barrage of missiles from Zane's CGUE.

Meanwhile, the Duel swooped down on the _Archangel_, firing on the Strike.

"I'm gonna get you this time Strike!" shouted Yzak.

The resident sniper was the first to spot the Duel, and Victor couldn't help but smirk.

"Kira, I've got a target for you," he said mildly.

The words had barely left his mouth before the Strike spun around and fired its beam rifle, piercing the Guul. The Duel leapt off the lifter as it exploded and began to descend towards the _Archangel_.

"Wow, he's stubborn," said Victor.

Kira didn't respond as he dropped his rifle to the deck and leapt off the _Archangel_ towards the Duel, drawing one of his anti-ship swords as the Duel drew one of its beam sabers. The two swung as they passed each other.

Victor's smirk grew. He could practically see the shock of the Duel pilot as the tip of the beam saber fell away, severing essential components that emitted and held the blade together.

"Yzak!" cried Saul, flying in to try and help his teammate.

Seeing the Surge approaching, Kira flipped and pushed off the Duel, helping to propel himself upwards towards the Surge. Already knowing the Duel pilot would try and shoot him down with the railgun, Kira evaded left and right. The Surge tried to dodge, but the Strike tackled the dark green mobile suit off the Guul, and Kira stabbed and cut the platform with his sword before descending back towards the _Archangel_.

Breaking off momentarily from the Guardian, the Aegis fired its beam rifle at the Strike. Kira deftly evaded and blocked with his shield, and upon landing on the _Archangel _deck, quickly snatched his beam rifle back up and returned fire.

Breaking momentarily from the Resolute, Makoto quickly took stock of the situation, and her eyes narrowed as the Blitz disappeared atop the Guul.

"ZAFT isn't that stupid," she said, punching the controls for a fast burn towards the _Archangel_, dodging fire from the Resolute the whole way. Opening a momentary wide-channel communiqué, she decided to enlighten the ZAFT pilot.

"I don't need to see you to know what you're thinking, Blitz!" she shouted, unfolding the Dauntless's machine cannons and filling the air with bullets.

The Blitz materialized in the air as its PS armor reactivated just in time as a barrage of bullets struck it. With her target visible, Makoto focused her fire on the black machine, and fired the Exia. The Blitz blocked the attack with its shield, but that was fine with Makoto, as she crashed into the mobile suit.

Staring directly into the green eyes of the Blitz, Makoto opened up with her Igelstellungs, shattering the main cameras before kicking away. As she did, the Exia flashed through the air, cutting the right arm of the Blitz free at the elbow.

"Three down," muttered Makoto as the Resolute caught back up to her and the two reengaged. "Four to go."

Unfortunately, it could be said in many respects that those four were the toughest. Although Makoto had come out on top of Erik as consistently as Kira did over the Duel pilot, the Resolute pilot was still in the higher class of things.

Everyone had already recognized that the Duel pilot was far too driven by anger to be the danger his fellow pilots were, and in many ways, the Blitz and Surge pilots were even more half-hearted than Athrun was in his Aegis when fighting against Kira.

That being said, Athrun was still a force to be reckoned with, and the power of the Aegis, the planned leader of the Gundams, was enough to equal any of the others, even if its overall abilities were inferior to some of them. Zane, despite being in the weakest of the machines, was perhaps the most dangerous, for he was as anger-driven as the Duel pilot, but even more ruthless and focused. Erik was someone Makoto still didn't understand fully. And the Buster pilot had a knack for making a real pest of himself.

So, even though they'd gotten rid of three of their enemies, well… they were nothing more than pests, compared to what was left, especially since the Blitz had already let off its lancer darts into the port Valiant.

"I don't care what anyone has to say the contrary," said Makoto. "We are in serious trouble, especially this close to Orb waters."

* * *

Orb Parliament Building

A meeting exclusive to the heads of the noble houses of Orb was rare, but it did happen on occasion. One of the nobles, Uzumi Nara Athha, frowned as he watched the video feed from the military observational UAV, showing the pitched battle between the Earth Forces and ZAFT just outside of Orb's territorial waters. A naval fleet had already been dispatched to defend the border from entry.

"This and the destruction of Heliopolis are what you're deal with the Alliance has wrought," said Uzumi, turning his attention to another of the nobles.

"You did nothing to stop it when you found out," responded the noble, a Coordinator named Rondo Ghina Sahaku.

"Things were too far along by that point," countered Uzumi. "It would've done more harm than good."

"That's not stopping you from the next phase," commented a black-haired woman, drawing all eyes to her. Uzumi sighed.

"No, it isn't," he admitted.

"Uzumi, I understand," said the woman softly, eyes focusing on the fight between the Resolute and Dauntless, as did many of the other nobles, who were able to glean more from that ongoing fight than the other highly sporadic ones. "Don't worry about it too much. What will come will come. It is only our place to set the best example we can as we protect the future. It is in the hands of the next generation that we must leave the future."

"You're right," said Uzumi. "Where's your husband?"

"Oh, I sent him to talk to General Dante about our next phase," she said mildly. "In any event, there are quite a few people out there I'm sure we're both eager to meet."

* * *

_Archangel_

"_There's an Orb Fleet at the boundary line,_" came Tonamura's voice over the radio. Makoto internally cursed.

"Damn it," she said. "Didn't imagine coming back here like this." Bullets filled the air. "Oh shut up!" No longer even caring all that much about damage, Makoto charged straight at the Resolute, and tossed her shield at it suddenly. The blue-green mobile suit dodged the projectile, only for Makoto to appear in front of it, Exia flashing through its legs. She then kicked the machine in the chest, sending it falling into the water, and drew a beam saber, which she used to destroy the Guul (still with the Resolute's legs on it).

On the bridge, Murrue was ordering Neumann to turn the ship away from Orb when Cagalli ran onto the bridge.

"_This is a warning to the Earth Forces ship and all ZAFT forces in the vicinity,_" came the voice of the Orb fleet commander. "_You are currently approaching Orb Union territory. Alter your course immediately. In defense of our neutrality, we strictly prohibit all armed ships, aircraft, and mobile suits from entering our territory. Turn your forces at once._"

Zane smirked. It was over. The legged ship was doomed. Either they would sink the ship or Orb would do it for them.

_Damn. We're stuck between a rock and a hard place. We stay on our path and Orb blows us out of the water. But even if we turned away, with the damage we've received, we won't be able to survive the next attack_, thought Chris.

"_I repeat, alter your course at once,_" said the fleet commander. "_This is your final warning. Should you fail to change your course, we will exercise our nation's right to defend itself and we will open fire on you._"

"Don't listen to him," said Cagalli. "Keep on heading towards Orb."

She ran back and grabbed Flay's headset, ignoring the redhead's annoyed protests

"Who the hell do you think you are, saying that crap after seeing the mess we're in?!" she demanded hotly. "The _Archangel_ is going to enter Orb territorial waters, do not attack us!"

Athrun immediately recognized the voice on the radio as the same girl he spent that night on the island with.

"Ah, hell," said Chris. "She's gonna piss of the Orb military and then we're really gonna be screwed."

"_If there's one great fault to Uzumi Nara Athha, it's that he didn't put more time into teaching his daughter politics,_" said Makoto dryly, though only the other pilots heard her.

"_Uzumi Nara Athha?!_" exclaimed the others almost all at once.

"_Who is this?_" demanded the Orb commander, his face appearing on the _Archangel_ transmission screen.

"Who the hell are you?!" Cagalli shouted back. "If you can't figure out who I am, then contact your superior! Contact my father! Contact Uzumi Nara Athha!"

This announcement stunned everyone. The crew of the _Archangel_, the Orb fleet, the ZAFT forces, everyone—except Makoto, who groaned.

_Okay, maybe there's another one: spoiled brat for a daughter_, thought Makoto grimly.

"I am Cagalli Yula Athha!" finished the blonde.

"What?! She's the daughter of the Lion of Orb?!" exclaimed Chris.

"_Apparently, our Overemotional Goddess is in reality an Overemotional Princess,_" said Victor dryly. "_I didn't see that one coming. Of course, she could just be trying to confuse them to the point that they'll let us enter their territory just to straighten things out._"

"_No,_" said Makoto. "_I meant what I said earlier. Cagalli isn't lying._"

"_I don't know what kind of game you're playing, but there's no way the daughter of Lord Athha would be on that warship!_" said the Orb commander, now sounding furious as he closed the line. At that instant, the _Archangel_ shook under the ZAFT fire once more.

"No need to get all flustered," said Dearka, directing his thoughts towards the Orb commander, though the man couldn't hear him. "They're not going to make it to your territory." He fired both the gun-launcher and beam rifle simultaneously. "I'll finish them off first!"

"Not you again!" said Mu, closing with the Buster and firing the Agni at it. The mobile suit dodged the powerful beam, then moved behind the Skygrasper, firing its gun-launcher at it. The Hawk nimbly dodged the shots, and several of them hit the water a few hundred meters short of the Orb fleet.

"_Don't hit the Orb ships Dearka!_" warned Athrun. "_Attack from the other side!_"

"How do I do that?" questioned Dearka. Suddenly, several rounds pierced the Guul at strategic locations in rapid succession.

"You never sit still when you know there's a pair of snipers hanging around!" said Victor, pumping the Guul full of even more sniper rounds. The Buster leapt off the Guul as it exploded, dodging the Agni once more, and combined its weapons to form its shotgun.

The spread-shot lanced out and struck more than half of the _Archangel_'s main engines. Then, the Buster hit the water.

_Finally did something useful…_ thought Zane, smirking as the crippled warship crashed into the ocean, right into Orb territorial waters. His eyes widened, however, when the Raven appeared in front of him in mobile suit mode, holding both of its beam sabers. Chris brought the beam sabers down, and Zane swiftly snatched up his sword to block one saber while defending with his shield from the other. Chris wasn't finished though, and slammed the Raven's knee into the CGUE's torso, sending it careening off of the Guul as Zane shouted furiously.

Zane tried to take aim with the thermal cannon, but Chris, landing on the Guul, was faster, firing his shield cannon repeatedly at the CGUE. Though the extra armor of the assault shroud held up, Zane couldn't do anything but cry out in frustration and anger as he sank beneath the waves. Chris then fired repeatedly into the Guul before leaping off and transforming back to mobile armor mode.

Athrun knew the situation was bad. He couldn't risk continuing pursuit of the _Archangel_. Not only had all of his teammates been shot down, but the legged ship had fallen straight into Orb territory, and all of its mobile suits were still in perfect condition. He backed off as missiles, bullets, and cannon rounds filled the air, crossing the ocean from the Orb fleet to the Earth Forces warship.

The Dauntless, Raven, and Guardian landed on the deck of the ship beside the Strike and Talos, watching the incoming projectiles. Makoto eyed the Orb assault speculatively before she began laughing.

"_What are you laughing at?_" asked Chris. "_This is hardly a good situation._"

"Orb's Second Defense Fleet is known for their accuracy," said Makoto. "If they really wanted to hit us, we'd all be dead by now."

Once the ZAFT forces were long gone from the area and they'd moved a bit deeper into Orb waters, the Orb warships ceased firing, and instead escorted the _Archangel_ to a hidden dock at Onogoro.

"This dock is owned by Orb and Morgenroete," explained Kisaka. "Not even satellites will be able to locate the _Archangel_ once it enters the dock."

"Don't you think its about time you dropped the act and told us who you really are?" said Murrue.

"Ledonir Kisaka," he said, snapping to attention. "I'm a colonel in the Orb Ground Forces, 21st Airborne Unit. I am her bodyguard."

"No way," whispered Mir to Sai. "So she's like, the genuine thing."

"So then, do you think we should be grateful for this rather unexpected turn of events?" asked Murrue.

"I believe that's a question better directed at the person you're going to be meeting fairly soon," said Kisaka. "The Heir of Orb, Lord Uzumi Nara Athha." At the instant, the comm. screen came back on, and a brown-haired, green-eyed woman appeared on it, one that looked familiar to Murrue and Natarle. Makoto, leading the other pilots onto the bridge, narrowed her eyes at the image.

"_Hello Kisaka, Lady Cagalli, it's been awhile,_" said the woman, before her eyes trailed to Makoto. "_Though it's been even longer for you, hasn't it, Lady Makoto?_"

"Cut the formality Aunt Shizuka," said Makoto, ignoring the stares focused on her. "It's hardly needed between family."

At that instant, Murrue and Natarle realized why this woman looked familiar: she was practically the spitting image of Naomi Arata, Makoto's mother!

"_Oh, if you insist,_" said Shizuka, smiling gently. "_Anyways, for the meeting, all senior officers were requested. I believe that consists of yourself, the captain, the Hawk of Endymion, and the deputy commander._"

"Understood," said Makoto, frowning. "Will _they_ be there?"

"_Are you kidding? Of course they'll be there!_" said Shizuka, smirking as the comm. link closed. All eyes turned to focus on Makoto.

"So, are you going to tell us what's going on?" asked Natarle.

"You'll know soon enough," said Makoto, shaking her head lightly. "Never imagined returning home would be like this, though."

* * *

Aboard the _Cousteau_

An Hour Later

"This announcement is nothing but a pile of crap!" shouted Yzak, slamming his hands on the table.

"I can't believe they expect us to believe that the legged ship has left their territory," said Dearka. "They're treating us like a bunch of fools. Maybe its because we have a raw commander."

"Dearka!" said Nicol, annoyed. "Don't blame Athrun for this!"

"Yeah Dearka," said Saul. "If we'd stayed, they would've blown us up as well."

"But at the same time, we can't allow the legged ship to escape yet again," said Zane. "We should've finished them off when we had the chance." Here, Erik snorted.

"When we had the chance?" he asked. "When did we have the chance? Heliopolis? In orbit? The desert with the Waltfeld Team? Outside of Orb just now? Oh, wait, that's right. The murderous bastard is talking about the time they rescued Lacus Clyne and gave her back to us with the request that we leave the area."

"That's enough Erik!" said Athrun sharply. "That isn't important now." Erik shrugged as the others shifted uncomfortably, save for Zane, who glared almost murderously at Erik.

"I'm just saying," said Erik.

"That's all irrelevant right now," said Athrun, determined to prevent the potentially explosive confrontation. "In any event, we can't deny that Orb has given us their official response. Complain and call them liars all you want, it won't change the situation."

"What?!" shouted Yzak.

"This isn't like Heliopolis," said Athrun sharply. "Orb's military might and advanced technology is to great for us to simply force our way in. If we tried, it would only be a diplomatic nightmare for ZAFT, and we'd be lucky to get out of there alive."

"Your analysis is impressively ration Athrun… oops… I mean, 'Commander Zala'," said Yzak, sarcasm dripping from every word, especially the last two.

"Hold on," said Dearka, deciding to be a bit more serious than Yzak for once. "Are you saying we should just accept their word and leave?"

"We'll ask Carpentaria to apply some official pressure," said Athrun. "If that does not resolve the situation quickly enough, we'll sneak in. Does that meet with your approval?"

"Ah… so we can pinpoint the ship's location," said Nicol.

"Sounds like a good idea to me," said Saul, nodding in agreement. "So long as this doesn't turn out like Heliopolis."

"I agree," said Zane. "If we find proof that they're hiding the legged ship, than that changes everything."

"Very well," said Yzak. "I'll go along with this. For now, at least. But if it were up to me, we'd be forcing our way in. But I can't disagree with the son of Committee Chairman Zala, now can I?" Yzak stood, heading towards the exit with Dearka. "And who knows, maybe I'll get a chance to see the face of the Strike pilot."

Athrun's expression immediately saddened. He knew Kira was piloting the Strike, and once again, he felt himself torn between his duty to ZAFT and his friendship to Kira.

"Just two things before you go," said Erik, catching Yzak's attention. "First, the fact that you'd rather cause ZAFT a diplomatic nightmare and get us killed than think things through clearly is why Athrun is in charge, not because of his father's name. Second, if we do come across the Strike pilot, can you keep calm? The same goes for you with the Raven pilot, Zane. If we start a fight in the middle of Orb, it won't matter if we find evidence or not, because we'll never make it out of there."

Everyone else frowned. Erik had a point, of course, and as Zane considered it, he nodded.

"I don't think I'd be able to keep my cool if I saw his face," he admitted, voice softer than any of them had ever heard it. "If we do infiltrate, I'll just be a liability." Zane thought it through for a moment, and decided that, if Athrun saw his friend in Orb, that would be enough, and he'd probably wait outside Orb, which would be wise. Getting Orb involved at this stage wouldn't do anyone any good, least of all Le Creuset. "Guess I'll sit out the infiltration mission, if it comes to that."

Athrun nodded, suspecting what Zane was thinking, turned to face Yzak.

"What about you?" he asked. Yzak was quiet, but then nodded.

"I think I can keep my cool," he said. "Even if I couldn't, though, you wouldn't stop me from going."

Athrun sighed. "I'm not surprised," he said quietly as Yzak left.

* * *

Orb Parliament Building

Onogoro Island

Murrue, Natarle, Mu, and Makoto had been led to an empty conference room, where they had been waiting for several minutes when the door finally opened. A man they all recognized as Uzumi Nara Athha stepped in accompanied by an older man with short-gray hair. The older man was wearing an Orb Military uniform, with the rank insignia of an Orb General, and appeared to be in his sixties. He was taller than Athha, and quite muscular. His body was that of a lifelong soldier's. He had short, gray hair and a matching, thick, bushy mustache. His eyes were a familiar grayish-green.

Then, behind them came a woman whose appearance caused the three adult officers to freeze while Makoto's eyes and expression softened at the sight.

The officers couldn't understand it. The woman before them wore the conservative, yet highly traditional dress of the leader of Orb's oldest and second most highly respected family. But what shocked the officers was that she was identical in appearance to Makoto, the only exception being her raven-black hair instead of Makoto's blood red hair. Even their eyes were identical, with this woman looking like nothing more or less than an older, black-haired version of Makoto.

"Hello," said Athha. "I am Uzumi Nara Athha." He motioned to the general. "And this is my close friend and advisor…"

"General Samuel Dante," said the man. "Currently serving as the liaison between Morgenroete and the Orb military."

"Dante?" said Mu. "As in—"

"Yes," said Samuel. "I am the grandfather of Christopher and Elizabeth Dante. You have my thanks for watching over them, as well as my daughter-in-law. With the death of my youngest son, they're the only family I have left."

"Your welcome," said Murrue, her eyes shifting almost uncomfortably to the black-haired woman, whose eyes had remained as intently locked with Makoto's identical ones as the redhead's had with hers. "Um…" she said uncertainly. Athha smiled.

"Ah yes, of course," he said. "Shall I introduce you? This is…"

"Serenity Sakaeru Taiyonoha, at your service," said the black-haired woman, not breaking eye contact with the redhead. "I doubt my niece has mentioned me much though."

"Niece?" gasped Natarle. Makoto sighed.

"Yes," she said softly. "This woman is my aunt. My mother's maiden name was Taiyonoha."

Serenity nodded.

"I can't say I'm pleased with the danger Makoto's been placed in," she said. "Especially given that she's my heir."

"Well, now that we have the pleasantries out of the way, it's time to deal with the matters at hand," said Uzumi. "Our official statement is that our naval forces fired upon the _Archangel_, driving it from our waters."

"Do you really expect ZAFT or those pilots pursuing us to believe that?" asked Mu. The three Orb officials shook their heads.

"No," said Serenity. "But they cannot disprove what we've said. And it's unlikely that they'll try any military action without concrete proof that we are lying to them. The sort of proof that would take so long to obtain that the war would have ended."

Makoto nodded in agreement. "If they didn't have proof, they'd be invading Orb without a legitimate reason," she said. "Something ZAFT can't afford to do with their manpower."

"Exactly," said Samuel. "If they attack us, they'll have to draw vital forces from other theaters of war, which is something ZAFT can't afford to do here on Earth. For all their superior mobile suits and technology, they still lack the numbers necessary to truly defeat the Earth Alliance."

"You didn't save us just because we had two Orb princesses and General Dante's grandchildren on board, did you?" asked Mu.

"Do you honestly believe that any of us would risk the fate of a nation and its people for the sake of four children?" asked Uzumi rhetorically.

"Excuse me if I implied that, sir," said Mu apologetically. Uzumi sighed.

"Things would be so much easier if it were only that simple," said Uzumi. "Heliopolis. The children of this nation who volunteered and ended up joining the Earth Forces. The success of the G-weapons in battle after battle. I've thought over this again and again. Would it have been wiser to just let that ship and its mobile suits sink? And even at this very moment, I'm still wondering if I've made the right choice."

"Lord Uzumi, Lady Serenity, I'm terribly sorry," said Murrue. "About Heliopolis and the children. I know my words on this matter aren't an official apology, but from a personal stand point, I am sorry for what happened."

"No, forget it," said Uzumi. "There's plenty of blame to share, since this is also an inherent problem of our nation. The reason we maintain our stance as a neutral nation is that we don't want to face Naturals or Coordinators as enemies. We cannot carry out these intentions without power. And yet, with power, we become a target. I'm sure, as soldiers, you don't want to have this type of discussion though."

"I've heard it too many times before," said Makoto softly in agreement, eyes on her hands resting on the table.

"In any case, we should explain to you why we didn't let your ship be destroyed," said Samuel. "We would like all of the combat data for your four mobile suits, most especially the Strike and Dauntless, as well as the loan of the pilots, particularly Lady Makoto and young Kira Yamato, for technical cooperation with Morgenroete. We're willing to provide you with extensive assistance with your repairs if you agree."

Murrue hesitated. "Lord Uzumi, we'd like some time to discuss the matter."

"Very well then," said Uzumi, nodding in understanding. "The three of us have some matters to attend too anyways. You'll be escorted back to your ship for now. We'll come by tonight for your answer."

"One last question," said Natarle as they stood to leave. "Why did you emphasize the Strike and Dauntless?"

"Well, the Strike, as you know, is quite versatile," said Serenity. "The Dauntless, however… well, the interest is a little more personal, especially for my husband."

Makoto stiffened as she seemed to snap to sudden attention.

"Aunt Serenity…" she said slowly. "I didn't really think about it before, but… why isn't Master Misuumi here? I was expecting him as well."

Serenity smirked—that same, dangerous smirk the officers had seen on Makoto's face, making it clear Makoto took more after this woman than her own mother—before speaking in a deliberately slow voice.

"Oh, I think we forgot to tell him that you'd be accompanying the other officers for this impromptu little meeting."

Makoto's eyes widened in horror.

"Oh no…" she said, rushing out of the room, all etiquette forgotten. The other Earth Forces officers looked at the Orb officials with questioning expressions.

"Master Misuumi is a little, shall we say… eccentric," said Samuel with a rueful smile. "I just hope he doesn't put my grandson in the hospital."

* * *

The _Archangel_

A number of people were gathered in the crew quarters of the _Archangel_, watching Cagalli, now clad in a dress, fighting with a servant as they started to leave the ship. Chris and Flay were at the back of the group, avoiding Sai as much as they could. Neither of them had spoken with Sai since that night and had pretty much avoided him, outside of Flay's bridge duties with him.

"Holy crap!" said Chris. "She's a girl!"

Most of the crew started laughing or chuckling at his comment. Cagalli growled. "Why the hell do you people keep on saying that?!"

"Because it's amusing," said Chris with a grin as she was dragged away.

"Ah, Lady Cagalli," came a pleasant voice suddenly, and all eyes turned to see a casually dressed, middle-aged man standing in the corridor, eyeing the Orb Princess. "Good to see you are well."

"L-Lord Misuumi!" exclaimed Cagalli and the servant in surprise, though Cagalli didn't stutter. "What are you doing here?" asked Cagalli, though she had a suspicion.

"I'm looking for my favorite student," said Misuumi with a slight grin as the others appraised him. The man had white hair, tied into an extremely long Chinese braid that hung to the small of his back, and he had a matching, thick mustache. He was also tall, just over six feet in height, and Chris could see immediately that this man was a master martial artist.

Then, the name clicked.

"You're Makoto's teacher," he said in surprise, drawing Misuumi's eyes to him. The man smirked.

"Indeed," he said. "And you would be…?"

"Chris Dante, sir," said Chris, deciding to be respectful. Cagalli groaned and went willingly with her servant. Chris wondered what that was about.

"Ah, I see," said Misuumi mildly, walking towards Chris and Flay. "Samuel spoke rather highly of your skills, you know. Now then, let's see…"

"Uncle Misuumi!" came a voice suddenly, and all eyes turned to see a panting Makoto rushing over to Misuumi. "Now is _not_ the time, and this is _not _the place, understand?!"

* * *

_Archangel _Captain's Quarters

A Short While Later

"Why didn't you ever mention this?" asked Natarle as Makoto sat down with a heavy sigh.

"Because it wouldn't have mattered in the end," said Makoto. "And it's not something I wanted being spread around. My relationship with the Taiyonoha family is perhaps my house's most closely guarded secret. We're extremely protective of our bloodline, because it is, in essence, the only one to predate the Reconstruction War."

"I see," said Murrue. "While this is interesting, it's not why the five of us are here." Besides the four senior officers, Victor had been called in to offer his own opinions. "What do you all think of Orb's request?"

"Well, to be honest, I'm not sure," said Natarle. "This nation is dangerous, but I don't think we have much choice. Besides, in many ways, we owe them this for the destruction of Heliopolis." The others stared at her in surprise. "Look, our only other option is to limp out of port as we are. We wouldn't last ten minutes in our current condition."

"We know that," said Mu.

"We just never expected you to agree to sharing our secrets so easily," said Victor. Natarle sighed in frustration at the comment, but Victor continued. "When I first met you, you reminded me of Diana Kessel. The woman's as cold as ice. First impressions are lasting ones, no matter how inaccurate they may be."

Natarle paused, considering this, then nodded.

"I understand what you're saying," she said. "In any case, I'm in favor of accepting Orb's deal."

"The same," said Mu.

"You shouldn't have to ask," said Makoto. Victor shrugged.

"Hey, I'm just a mercenary," he said. "Though I might have some stuff that will appeal to them. I'll see what I can get for us with that." Murrue nodded.

"Then we're all in agreement," she said. "Lieutenant Arata, I'll leave you in charge of contacting Lord Uzumi. Mr. Cain, please accompany her."

"I've told you to call me Victor," said the mercenary, sounding mildly frustrated. "What's with all the formality?"

"Politics," said Makoto with an amused smirk. "Well, Mr. Cain, let's go round up the ensigns, shall we?"

"Damn you," muttered Victor under his breath.

* * *

Early the Next Morning

Unbeknownst to the majority of Orb's citizens, four mobile suits were walking towards the Morgenroete Headquarters in the dawn hours. In the Raven, Chris yawned.

"Man, would it have been that hard for them to get a couple of transport trucks for us?" he asked. "We could've easily gone through the front door rather than this twisting side route at five in the morning."

"_Lord Uzumi and Lady Serenity want to keep this as low-key as possible,_" said Makoto tonelessly, and the two Dantes both groaned. They hated Makoto when she was in this crazy 'soldier mode' of hers. What they didn't know was that Makoto was actually doing it to annoy them, this time.

"Why does it even matter?" asked Chris. "By the end of the day, everyone at Morgenroete will know we're here."

"_They won't,_" assured Makoto. "_My family has its hands buried deep within Morgenroete's foundations, so I'd know. While there's little doubt that they'll all know something about it, it'll be nothing more than rumors. While rumors are dangerous, they'll be better than cold hard fact in this situation._"

"_I still can't believe you're the heir to the Taiyonoha House,_" said Liz.

"_She didn't really go out of her way to keep it secret either,_" said Kira. "_I didn't really notice it then, but when I think back on everything she's told us about herself, I feel like kicking myself for not seeing it sooner._"

"That isn't like you Kira," said Chris. "Usually, I'm the one who feels like kicking himself."

"_Oh, cut the chatter guys,_" said Makoto, allowing emotions back into her voice, with a hint of amusement in her tone. "_We're here._"

A few minutes later, the Strike, Dauntless, Raven, and Guardian were secured in a secret Morgenroete hangar, hidden deep underground. Johanna Dante, Shizuka Taiyonoha, and another woman, all clad in Morgenroete crew chief uniforms approached the four pilots, who were soon joined by Victor.

"Hello," said the woman. "I'm Erica Simmons. Welcome to Morgenroete."

"So, this is the heart of Morgenroete," said Victor, looking around and whistling appreciatively. "Where the G-weapons were first conceived.

"Yes," said Erica, leading the group into another hangar. "Though they were built on Heliopolis, this is where it all began."

"That reminds me," said Victor, searching through a pocket of his coat. "I have something for you." He pulled out a disc and handed it to Erica.

"What is this?" she asked.

"While we were in the desert, I studied the schematics of the Strike, Raven, and Guardian, and came up with some… interesting things," said Victor. "I think Commander Alaric would be proud, though Makoto wouldn't let me near the Dauntless. Regardless, I can't do anything with what I've come up with, so I'm handing it over to those that can use it, and all I'd like in exchange is maybe a few supplies to make the rest of the _Archangel_'s journey more pleasant."

"You're an ex-ZAFT ace, right?" she asked, inspecting the disc.

"Yes, but don't worry," said Victor. "I have no intention of ratting out Orb to ZAFT or anyone else. And certainly no intention of handing Orb technology over to the PLANTs. What you have there is the only copy of what I've come up with."

Erica nodded and handed the disk to Johanna. "See what's on that for me," she said. Johanna nodded.

"Right away ma'am," she said, walking away as they entered the hangar they'd been led too.

Inside the hangar were mobile suits, ones they'd never seen before. They were most similar to the Strike in appearance, but were quite clearly a new model. Kira, Chris, Liz, and Victor all stared at the machines in amazement, while Makoto struggled to forcefully suppress the tears in her eyes. She didn't need details to realize what these machines were.

"Admiring the Astrays?" came a man's voice suddenly. "They're impressive, I'll admit, but no where near as impressive as your machines." An Orb General strode over to them. "It's been awhile, Chris, Liz."

The eyes of the two younger Dantes widened immediately as they turned to the man.

"Grandpa?" they said together. Samuel smiled and grabbed both his grandchildren in a hug that seemed like it could've crushed their bones if they'd been Naturals.

"It's good to see you two alive and well," he said, voice thick with emotion. "When I heard what happened at Heliopolis, I feared the worst." He let go and turned to Kira.

"And you must be Kira Yamato," he said, shaking Kira's hand. "I am General Samuel Dante. Chris and Liz's grandfather."

Kira noticed something odd about his gaze, but he couldn't place it. Victor saw it as well, but the others missed it, Chris and Liz simply happy to see their grandfather again, and Makoto still studying the Astrays with barely restrained tears.

Samuel then turned to Victor, frowning. "You, however, I don't know," he said.

"Victor Cain, formerly of ZAFT's Alaric Team," said Victor, offering his hand, which Samuel shook.

"Ah, General Dante, I wasn't sure if you were going to join us this morning," said Erica. Samuel grunted.

"You know how politicians and bureaucrats are," he said. "Constantly arguing and passing blame on everyone else. There are those that still want us to kick the _Archangel_ out as a means to avoid a war with ZAFT. Damn cowardly Seirans. Say what you will about the Sahaku, at least they have some backbone in them. I thank Haumea for the Athha and Taiyonoha. They're the only sensible people in this blasted government."

"My sister's always been sensible," said Shizuka, speaking up for the first time. She'd been watching Makoto closely, particularly upon entering the Astray hangar. "Of course, that doesn't mean she isn't capable of stabbing the entire cabinet in the back all at once if she thinks it would serve Orb best."

"Aunt Serenity was always the best at that," said Makoto, a soft smile gracing her lips. "I suppose that's why she was always grandpa's favorite."

"For all that dad was a bit of a sexist, you're right," said Shizuka. "Anyways, who feels like explaining the Astrays?"

"I'll do it," said Samuel, clearing his throat. "These are the M1 Astrays. A mass-produced mobile suit from Morgenroete that will serve as Orb's primary frontline mobile suit. As you can see, it shares many characteristics with the Strike, which the prototypes were adapted from, though lacking the Striker pack technology and Phase Shift Armor. Morgenroete is also currently in the design phase for another machine that will share characteristics with the Guardian, and another one based on the Raven as a support unit. Sadly, we decided to forgo the Dauntless." Before anyone could ask for clarification, an interruption came in the form of an amber-eyed blonde teen.

"So now you see the true face of Orb," said Cagalli, approaching the group. "The so-called neutral nation."

The five pilots all noticed the distinctive red mark on her right cheek. Samuel chuckled.

"I see the stubborn little Lion Cub of Orb had a fight with the Lion of Orb again."

Cagalli scowled at him, but Makoto, the tears finally vanishing from her eyes, chuckled as well, drawing Cagalli's scowl to the redhead.

"These machines are to be Orb's protectors," said Samuel, ignoring Cagalli's interruption. "As you know, Orb will not attack another nation, or allow another nation to attack it. Nor will it become involved in the conflicts of other nations. With these machines, we have the power to ensure that just belief."

"That's the kind of nation Orb is," said Cagalli. "Or rather, that's what it was supposed to be until my father betrayed it."

Samuel sighed. "Again with this," he said, sounding thoroughly exasperated. "You're as stubborn as your father. Not even he can knock some sense into you. You know that isn't true. He never knew about the mobile suits being built at Heliopolis—"

"Shut up!" shouted Cagalli. "That is not an acceptable excuse! He was the Chief Representative! Not knowing about the matter is a crime as well."

"Which is why he stepped down as Chief Representative, handing the position over to your uncle," said Samuel.

"Like that changed anything," said Cagalli darkly, still scowling.

"You just don't get it, do you? Orb needs Lord Uzumi right now," said Samuel. "Ever since this war started, Orb has been in a difficult position. With our Mass Driver and advanced technology, both ZAFT and the Earth Forces have pressured us to choose a side in this war. A weaker leader would've buckled under the pressure and submitted to one of the sides, pulling Orb into this war. Lord Uzumi has chosen the only path that stays true to Orb's principles."

"Lady Serenity is just as capable as my father, if not more so!" said Cagalli.

"Now you're just trying to vent against your father," said Makoto. "I'll say it again: Lord Uzumi's greatest fault was not putting enough effort into teaching you politics. And I've already confirmed. Aunt Serenity knew about Heliopolis long before the rumors even started. She doesn't want to lead Orb either. So tell me, do you want the cowardly Seirans, or the real traitors, the Sahakus, in charge?"

Cagalli sputtered indignantly, while the others couldn't help but smirk as Samuel turned and started walking away.

"Come," he said. "Let us get to work and leave this stubborn, foolish little girl." Cagalli let out a growl, but ultimately followed the rest of them after Samuel out of the hangar. They soon entered the control room of the Mobile Suit Testing Chamber, where a trio of Astrays were standing. Erica put on a headset.

"Asagi, Juri, Mayura, begin your drills," she said.

The mobile suits activated and proceeded to move through their exercises. The movements, however, were slow and pathetic. It was like they were moving underwater, and the four teen pilots suspected that Liz could've taken them apart with no training and the Guardian in the incomplete state she'd first boarded it in. Cagalli sighed.

"Those three haven't changed at all," she said. "They're still just as slow."

"Actually, they're twice as fast now," said Shizuka mildly. "Though you do bring up our problem. We have the mobile suits, but we're still struggling to come up with an OS that allows a Natural to pilot it on a similar level to Coordinators."

"And you need our help because we rewrote the Operating Systems of our own machines," said Chris.

"Exactly," said Erica. "We need your assistance in this matter."

"Okay," said Makoto, nodding in understanding. "Besides, if Orb falls into an actual battle, having a noble out there could be a significant morale booster. There are plenty of Coordinators, but not enough of them in the military, right?"

"Yes, that much hasn't changed since you were sent to Heliopolis," admitted Shizuka. Makoto nodded and turned to Kira, Chris, Liz, and Victor.

"Because of the Coordinator infertility rates, most of Orb's noble families refuse to turn their children into Coordinators," said Makoto. "The Sahakus did it for the sake of power, but for most, keeping the family going was more important. I'm the exception, since I wasn't supposed to be an heir, and the genetic enhancements were the only way for me to survive to childbirth. Unfortunately, whatever sickness afflicted me in the embryonic stages of development also left my mother infertile."

"Enough on that depressing topic," said Shizuka. "Let's get to work."

* * *

PLANT Capital Aprilius One Dock

"Goodbye father," said Lacus, giving her father an affectionate hug.

"Be safe Lacus," said Siegel, returning the hug.

"I will," she assured him, smiling before entering her shuttle.

Lacus had volunteered to go to Earth for a meeting with Reverend Malchio, another attempt at negotiating a peaceful end to the war. Of course, even as she tried to deny it to herself, the young pop idol had an ulterior motive.

She'd overheard reports that the Earth Forces legged ship, the _Archangel_, had last been seen crashing into Orb waters. She had to go there. She needed to know what had happened.

More importantly, though, she needed to see Kira again. Every day, the fear that she wouldn't see him away grew a little bigger, and it was slowly eating away at her heart. She didn't know why, she just knew that it was true.

* * *

Shores of Onogoro

Morning of March 28th, C.E. 71

A pair of fishermen waited on some rocks on the shore for several minutes. Suddenly, a group of scuba divers emerged from the waters and approached them. The lead diver pulled off his mask.

"Athrun Zala, of the Le Crueset Team," he introduced. One of the fishermen smiled.

"Welcome to the Land of Peace," said the ZAFT spy.

* * *

**Author's Note: So, now that you know the answer, when you look at the clues, it becomes kind of obvious, doesn't it? From the moment I concieved Makoto Arata for this fic, I knew that I wanted her to be an Orb Noble. Whereas, Mayu Viana was a formidable ex-ZAFT ace capable of scaring even Rau Le Creuset and piloting an equally formidable close-combat specialized Gundam, Makoto is an inexperienced, but talented Orb Noble thrust into battle with a melee specializing mobile suit that didn't even have the firepower of Mayu's Myriad Gundam. I suppose that distinction is the very reason that _SEED Dauntless_ was born.**

**Regardless, I feel I must express my thoughts here, but in my excitement, most of them seem to have flown out the window. Okay, first and foremost, I have recently watched Mobile Suit Gundam 00, and while I still love Gundam SEED (though I don't like Destiny), I am of the opinion that Gundam 00 is perhaps the best Gundam series ever produced. Certainly trumps Zeta Gundam, showing the horrors of war while still giving out a lot of optimism and having much better characters. And unlike the Cosmic Era series, it didn't suffer from the mismanagement of Fukuda and Morisawa, and I can promise you all that, one day, I will be writing a Gundam x-over fic the likes of which I can promise no one has ever seen. But that's for the future. Today, we have this installment of _SEED Dauntless_, with more installments to come.**

**On the subject of Gundam 00, I should note that the Dauntless's sword rifle doesn't work quite like the Exia's. The Dauntless's is fixed into the "open" position, and the shield is only about the size of the Sword Strike's shield. The sword doesn't flip back like the Exia's did. My research never mentioned the switch-blade like ability of the Exia's main weapon, so I never employed it, and never clarified on that.**

**Anyways, you can all see a divergence from canon coming, with Lacus on the path to Orb, and the Gundam pilots on an undeniable course for an encounter in Orb. I have a special surprise regarding this encounter, though, and I hope you will all look forward to that.**

**Until next time! Please leave a review! Ja ne!  
**


	17. Phase 16: Sincerity's Birthday

**I realize that this is late, and I apologize. I should mention that I absolutely _loathe_ Mass Effect for being such an addictive game. I could barely stop playing it till I'd beaten it at least once.**

**Fortunately, it's out of the way now. However, it was not the only thing getting in the way. This chapter is long, and it was an extremely ambitious project on my part. While the first 3000 or so words (about 6 pages, a little more than a fifth of the overall chapter) is largely the same as _Gundam SEED: A Retelling_, everything else is my own work. All 8000 words of it. Like I said, it was an ambitious project. While such lengthy, original stuff is ordinary in most circumstances, this isn't even relating to canon events--I literally invented it all myself, in a significant departure from canon.**

**Now, personally, I liked this chapter better than any of the others, but I can't say everyone will. We'll just have to wait and see. While this is another chapter that is fairly Makoto-centric, it will be the last of its kind for awhile, and very possibly for the rest of this story. It was pretty hard, writing all of this, trying to get it right, and doing my best to try and ensure that people enjoy it. While I'm sure a lot of people will enjoy it simply because its original, something entirely new, others might not like it so much. Regardless, I put in all the effort I could to make it come out well, and I hope that everyone enjoys this.**

**Please note that, for story purposes, Makoto wrote the song "It's the Fear", but in reality, it is by Within Temptation, quite possibly my single favorite artist. Also, I posted 'links' so that people would be able to easily find and listen to the songs featured in this chapter.  
**

**Disclaimer (VERY IMPORTANT): I do not own Gundam SEED or any of the associated characters and mecha. I don't own the characters or mecha that first appeared in _Gundam SEED: A Retelling_ by Akatsuki Leader13. Much of the first couple of scenes was revised from the same story. I do own the OCs Makoto Arata, Erik Saharin, Serenity Taiyonoha, Misuumi Taiyonoha, Shizuka Taiyonoha, and Naomi Arata. I also own the GAT-X106 Dauntless Gundam, GAT-X104 Resolute Gundam, and GAT-X308 Guardian Gundam. However, I most definitely _do not_ own the song Agony, which is written, sung, and owned by Kotoko. I most definitely _do not_ own the song Why Can't I?, which is written, sung, and owned by Liz Phair. And I _most definitely do not_ own the song It's the Fear, which is written, performed, and owned by Within Temptation.  
**

* * *

Phase Sixteen: Sincerity's Birthday

March 25th, C.E. 71

* * *

Morgenroete

"You wanted to see me, Johanna?" asked Erica as she entered the room, having left Shizuka to assist the Earth Forces pilots with the OS design.

"Yes," said Johanna, motioning to her computer. "You have to see this."

"Oh," said Erica, stepping over to her. "What did Mr. Cain come up with?"

"Some improvements for the Strike, Raven, and Guardian," said Johanna. "But that's not all. He's come up with blueprints for new Striker Packs."

"Oh?" said Erica, studying the screen. "Sniper Aile Striker, Raven Striker, Heavy-Arms Striker… hmmm, they're mostly variations of the Strike's standard equipment, though the Raven Striker is certainly different. Still, these are pretty impressive basic designs."

"They're a little rough, and will need to be hammered out by an expert before we can begin constructing prototypes," said Johanna. "But other than that, we can build these packs."

"Yes," said Erica. "The _Archangel_ will be gone before we'd be able to finish any of these, though."

"That's true," said Johanna. "But we can use these blueprints to create specialized Astrays, and they'd certainly work well with the Athena."

"If it gets approved," said Erica admonishingly. "Old friends the Dantes may be with the Taiyonoha, Lady Serenity is still more likely to trust in her sister's opinion than yours, and she has more influence in Morgenroete than anyone else."

"That just makes me think it more likely that the prototype will be approved," said Johanna. "The Seirans and their supporters wouldn't like it, which is plenty enough motivation for Lady Serenity right there. Add in the over-enforced belief in being prepared for anything that Lord Misuumi brought to the family, and there's no doubt the Athena will be approved for pre-production."

* * *

The _Archangel_

Three days later

Chris whistled as he walked through the _Archangel_'s corridors, in a better mood than he'd been in for quite some time. They were making excellent progress on the OS, particularly given that they were dissecting nearly every aspect of it as they wrote it, though it turned out that he and Kira were doing much of the work. Liz wasn't as good as them, and Makoto was barely managing any work before being unexpectedly (or expectedly, by now) dragged off for something regarding her family.

Today, they'd be putting the final touches on it. While it would still need revision afterwards, the Astrays would be Natural-operable. As such, they'd been told to take a bit of a break. Tolle, Miriallia, and Sai had been allowed to visit their parents, and Liz had opted to spend the afternoon with their grandfather. Chris had decided to simply relax, Makoto had been dragged off by that insane martial artist uncle of hers, and Chris had no idea what Kira was up to.

As Chris walked past an open door, he spotted something in the corner of his eye. He stopped and glanced into the open room. Flay was sitting on her bunk, just staring into space.

"Flay?" asked Chris, stepping into the room. "What are you still doing here? Why aren't you with the others? I thought your parents had a house in Orb."

"Yes," said Flay, her tone clearly depressed. "There is a house. But no one's living there now." She looked up, and Chris could see barely contained tears in her eyes. "My mother died when I was little."

"Oh…" said Chris, scratching the back of his head.

He wasn't really sure what to say. It was kind of an awkward situation. Then, he thought of something.

"Tonight, my grandfather's taking my sister and I out for dinner," said Chris. "We've all been kind of busy with the work for Morgenroete, so he though it would be better for us to properly visit with him. Why don't you come with us?"

"No, that's alright," said Flay. "I don't want to be a third wheel."

"You won't be," assured Chris. "He said some of his friends would be coming along as well. Come on Flay. Get off the ship for awhile and take a break from everything." Flay was quiet for a moment, chewing on her lip slightly.

"Alright," she said at last. "I'll go with you."

* * *

Morgenroete Taiyonoha Section Dojo

Serenity Taiyonoha watched with a slight smirk as her niece fought Misuumi to a standstill. It was a tribute to both of them, really. Misuumi was a Natural, giving Makoto the advantage in strength, stamina, speed, reflexes, and even her observational powers and ability to think clearly was superior to Misuumi's. On the other hand, Misuumi was a master of the Shinsei Tsurugi School of martial arts—the last master, in fact—and had taken on several Coordinator martial arts experts at once and beaten them (though he couldn't have beaten an equal number of masters, and it was quite difficult for him). In his own words, Shinsei Tsurugi was an art born to take on SWAT teams.

Shizuka watched the two with a great deal of admiration. While she knew basic martial arts, she wouldn't be able to match the two masters sparring in front of her in a hundred years. A punch, a kick, headbutt… there seemed no end to it, and it was mostly nothing more than a blur to her.

Slowly, the two wound down from their exercise, finally stopping after an hour of sparring nonstop. Both were panting and sweating profusely.

"Good to see you haven't been sloppy with your training while on that ship," said Misuumi, smiling at the redhead.

"I was sloppy about it for awhile there," said Makoto, plopping down on a bench and thanking Shizuka for the bottle of ice-cold water the brunette handed to her. "I got a real wakeup call in Banadiya, when Kira, Cagalli and I got caught up in a Blue Cosmos attack on the Tiger. It didn't draw blood, but one bullet grazed me, even though I saw it coming."

"Tsk, tsk," said Misuumi. "Well, at least it got you back to working on it."

Shinsei Tsurugi had nothing to do with genuinely dodging bullets. Rather, it was about keeping moving, observing your surroundings, keeping yourself out of the sights of anyone holding a gun, and blending offense and defense perfectly, as well as forgetting any rules regarding so-called 'low blows'. Being hit in Banadiya was a result of Makoto reacting too slow to the terrorist gunman, and it had been quite a blow to the girl's pride. However, unlike many nobles, she'd had it drilled into her head right from birth that wounds to her pride should merely be motivation to remedy whatever problem of her own led to the blow.

Serenity had introduced a lot of changes to the once very-proud, if very private, Taiyonoha family. However, these changes were all for the better, as in the past, damage to one's pride would've led to a number of strenuous ordeals to regain the lost honor.

"Now, run along and take a shower you two," said Serenity sternly. "We've got dinner with the Dantes tonight, and there's also a very special guest arriving within the hour. I want you both presentable."

"I thought I was a soldier of the Earth Forces," groaned Makoto. "But I guess not even that will stop you from roping me into all this family stuff, politics and diplomatic bullshit."

"No cursing, Naomi would kill me if she ever heard those words from your lips," scolded Serenity.

"Yes, 'mother'," said Makoto with overdone sarcasm. Serenity winced slightly at those words—motherhood was a sore spot for her—but Makoto didn't really notice.

* * *

Morgenroete

A Few Hours Later

Chris typed away at the Raven's console, giving the Raven's operating system a thorough check. They'd finished the OS not too long ago, so he and Kira had both decided to dedicate a bit of time to maintenance for their mobile suits. The Dauntless and Guardian had already been given thorough maintenance as well.

"Hey kid!" called Murdoch. "We just finished reassembling the railgun. You're gonna need to check the targeting alignment to make sure everything's in sync. And we're gonna replace the Raven's faceplate now."

"Leave it!" Chris called back.

"What?! Why?!" demanded Murdoch, who always believed in keeping the machine's under his care as close to a hundred percent as he could.

"Cause it gives him some personality," said Chris.

"WHAT?! But that's—"

"I know it weakens the head's armor!" said Chris hotly. "I don't care! Leave it!"

"Whatever," grumbled Murdoch. "Alright guys, you heard him, we're not replacing the faceplate."

Chris shook his head. There was no reason to replace the faceplate. True, it was a weakness, but it added character to the Raven, and he didn't see any reason to replace it. Besides, it would also serve as a constant reminder to not freeze up again, like he did when the damage was inflicted.

Though, there was something bugging him. It wasn't anything to do with the Raven, either, but rather Kira. He'd heard that the brunet had rejected the offer to visit his parents. He found it stupid. Who knows when the next time Kira would be able to see his parents was? So why not take this moment to see them and relax for a while? Everyone else was. It just didn't make sense to him, but he was determined to find out why Kira had made that choice.

Chris climbed out of the Raven's cockpit, and walked over to the Strike. The four Gundams were lying on their back, with catwalks running over them. Chris stopped over the Strike's cockpit, looking down to see Kira typing away with Birdie perched on his shoulder.

"Hey, Kira," said Chris, catching the brunet's attention. "I heard you've decided not to see your parents while you're here. How come?"

Kira didn't answer him, frowning thoughtfully.

"Well? And please, answer me honestly here."

"Because I'd want to know," said Kira softly. "Especially after hearing about Makoto, I'd want to know why they made me a Coordinator. And I'm afraid of what the answer might be. I don't know why, but something tells me that I really don't want to know the answer to that question."

"What the hell kind of excuse is that?!" demanded Chris angrily. "That's ridiculous! You have parents that you _can_ visit! You should take every opportunity to do so while you still can."

"I guess Liz was wrong," came Makoto's voice suddenly as Birdie flew off of Kira's shoulder. "It seems you haven't gotten over that, Christopher."

Chris shivered slightly at the furious ice in the redhead's tone, and turned to face her as Kira climbed out of the cockpit, likely to pursue Birdie. Both boys choked suddenly as they saw where Birdie had gone.

"Haro! Birdie! Haro!" chirped the familiar pink ball held in the hands of an equally familiar pink-haired, blue-eyed teen pop idol on whose shoulder Birdie had landed.

"Hello everyone," said Lacus, smiling at them from her place next to Makoto, though her eyes seemed riveted on Kira. "It's a pleasure to see you again."

* * *

Outside of Morgenroete

The members of the Zala Team who had infiltrated Orb had gathered outside of Morgenroete. They'd spent the entire day searching for some sign of the legged ship, but so far, their search had proven fruitless.

"Security's tighter here than at the naval base," said Yzak, shaking his head slightly in wonder.

"What did you expect?" asked Eric. "Morgenroete is the heart of Orb's military might. They would protect it more than any military base under their control."

Athrun nodded in agreement, turning to their resident hacker. "Saul, any luck on hacking into their system?"

Saul shrugged. "It's multi-layered," he said. "I'm about to break through the first layer, after that, I should be able to get a better assessment. But I'm pretty sure I can crack it. It'll just take time, and the proper equipment."

"It might be easier to capture someone and use them to infiltrate the facility," said Athrun.

"Like a wolf in sheep's clothing," said Nicol, his tone one of agreement.

"I don't know," said Saul. "That sounds a lot more dangerous and difficult. It may be—shit."

"What?" asked Yzak.

"I'm through the first layer," said Saul. "And that was hard enough. But it was nothing more than a camouflage for what was underneath it. I've seen this security program before."

"Where?" asked Athrun.

"It was just before I was assigned to the Le Creuset Team," said Saul, frowning. "My father had vouched for my skills as a hacker to assist with a security program that was attached as a defense for a tiny chunk of minor data from an R&D facility on L4's Mendel colony. We still don't know what's in it. It's a multi-faceted, multi-layered, counteroffensive program. Stroking a keyboard wrong can set off warning alarms throughout the entire facility and program, and set it on the attack. The security here is identical, just on a grander and more up-to-date scale." Saul was exaggerating somewhat, but it got his point across. He wasn't getting into this system.

"What in the world could need that kind of security?" asked Dearka incredulously.

"Something that even the creators didn't want to know about," said Erik softly. "Well, that's my opinion, anyways."

Athrun sighed. "Alright, it's getting late, so we'll have to continue this search tomorrow."

At Erik's suggestion, they'd prepared for the possibility of having to take several days to find the legged ship.

"We shouldn't consider the possibility of infiltration until we've exhausted all other possibilities," said Saul, sighing as he backed out of Morgenroete's defense systems. "If we mess that up, we won't have a chance to do anything else, assuming we live through it."

* * *

Later That Night

"I remember his first karate lesson," said Samuel. "He was so nervous that first time that when someone delivered that first little tap to the head, he started bawling like a little baby."

The others all started laughing.

"Ha ha ha," said an annoyed Chris. "Just to let you know, I was five when that happened."

"Still, it was quite funny," said Samuel. "In fact, I believe I still have the recording of that, if anyone would like to see it."

"Oh no," said Chris. "You're not showing _anyone_ that."

"Oh, come on!" said Samuel. "If nothing else, Miss Allster and Lady Makoto have a right to see it."

"No, they don't," said Chris.

"I can see why Flay would have a right, but why Makoto?" asked Liz curiously. Misuumi chuckled.

"She began her training at barely four years old," said Misuumi. "Though her first lessons in personal combat were the same age as Chris. The expression on her face was filled with more determination than almost anyone else I've ever met. It reminded me of her mother." Makoto frowned at that.

"I don't recall mom ever looking particularly determined," she said curiously. "Usually she just looked cheerful."

Misuumi, Serenity, and Shizuka all exchanged amused looks.

"Naomi didn't show it as much as Serenity, but she could look so viciously determined that even Misuumi backed down," said Shizuka softly, sounding almost nostalgic.

"Hmmm, so long as we're talking about embarrassing moments, let's not forget about that party a few years back, Makoto," said Serenity sweetly. Makoto paled to white in seconds in horror, before the color flooded back just as quickly as she blushed the color of her hair in embarrassment.

"Oh yeah," said Liz, smirking at the redhead. "Lacus told me _all_ about that." Makoto's eyes widened further.

"She didn't!" exclaimed Makoto.

"Oh yes, she did," said Liz. Makoto's aunts and uncle all laughed, Serenity directing her next words to the group as a whole.

"Samuel already knows about this," said Serenity, as Makoto seemed to shrink into her seat. "But it's still a good story. Put simply, somebody thought it would be amusing to spike the punch at the _Kusanagi_ Launch Ceremony, and we're talking about the extra strong stuff that Coordinators need to get intoxicated. Makoto is mostly very traditional in terms of what she consumes, but she suffers from an overwhelming addiction to punch. She consumed more than three-quarters of the bowl in question. Imagine this girl, twelve years old, horrifyingly intoxicated, singing and dancing in a drunken stupor, and finishing it all off by grabbing a random girl and giving her a full-blown French kiss."

Makoto had been growing steadily redder throughout Serenity's explanation of the event in question, and now looked ready to melt under her own body heat. Meanwhile, the others, even those who had been at the party themselves, were laughing even more loudly than they'd been laughing at Chris earlier, and Makoto was desperately wishing that she could simply disappear off the face of the Earth.

"Heh, well, enough about these two," said Samuel when he got his laughter back under control, motioning to Chris and Makoto, and giving them each small looks of sympathy. "Why don't you tell us about yourself, Miss Allster?"

* * *

Taiyonoha Manor

"Not that I'm complaining," said Kira. "But why are you here, Lacus?"

Lacus leaned against the balcony next to Kira, smiling at him. Lacus was staying at Taiyonoha Manor during her stay in Orb, and had asked Kira to come see her. Since Lacus was their guest and Kira was a friend of Makoto's, it had been allowed without a second thought.

"Officially, I'm here to contact Reverend Malchio," she said. "Another attempt to negotiate at least a cease-fire, if not an outright end to the war."

"I see," said Kira, smiling at her. "I'm glad. With people like you working to end this war, I'm sure the fighting will end soon. It makes me feel kind of guilty about fighting, to be honest."

"There's nothing to be guilty about, Kira," said Lacus, still smiling at him. "Though, I'll be honest, I didn't really come here for that. I heard that the _Archangel_ was near Orb. I wanted to know what had happened, and I was also hoping that I might get to see you again."

"Really?" said Kira, surprised. "Well, I'm glad you came, regardless of your reasons."

"That's sweet of you Kira," said Lacus. "There's one other thing, though. I was talking to Lady Serenity earlier, before I went to see you, and she told me about something I wanted to talk to you about…"

* * *

Shores of Onogoro

Morning of April 1st, C.E. 71

"I guess we've exhausted all other options," said Athrun with a sigh as the group prepared to leave the cave they'd been staying at since the infiltration. Their spies in Orb had provided them with tents and other supplies for their stay, but they'd been there four nights already. It was now more than a week since they'd driven the legged ship into Orb Territory. They needed to confirm whether the legged ship was in Orb, _now_. They couldn't wait any longer. The time for the Morgenroete infiltration had arrived.

"I suppose so," said Saul. "I still don't like the idea of trying to infiltrate Morgenroete though. I mean, getting into Orb was one thing, but trying to get into Morgenroete sounds like a suicide mission."

"We don't have any choice," said Erik. "At least you're not Zane. He must be going crazy, cooped up on the _Costeau_ for the last few days."

"You've got a point there," said Dearka. "Still, at least he's not going on a suicide mission. I agree with Saul about that much."

* * *

Taiyonoha Manor

"I demand to know what the hell this is all about," said Makoto, venom dripping from every word as she glared at her relatives. Given the fact that she'd been put into an even finer and more expensive version of the dress she'd been forced into by the Desert Tiger's girlfriend, the glare looked even more frightening than usual.

"You'll see," said Serenity, smirking at her niece, seemingly the only one not affected by the glare. "Though I suppose you should dress casually." Serenity sighed. "It's a shame. You look so beautiful in that dress. Well, I don't think anyone has a death wish. But no Morgenroete or military uniforms, got it?"

"Anything to get out of this dress!" said Makoto, running to her room. She'd used it for more than four years before moving to Heliopolis, and had taken very little of the contents with her. Serenity spoiled the girl, and it hadn't been touched since she left aside from routine cleaning, so she still had plenty of clothes to choose from.

However, she ended up forgoing those altogether. Instead, Makoto donned the worn jeans and black shirt ensemble she'd worn the day of the Heliopolis attack. She liked that particular 'outfit'.

"Took your time, huh?" came Liz's voice as Makoto returned to the living room. The redhead blinked in surprise at what she saw there.

Sitting in the chairs and on the couches were Liz, Kira, Lacus, Chris, Sai, Tolle, Miriallia and Flay.

"W-what are you all doing here?" asked Makoto, utterly confused. However, her confusion melted as a stray thought occurred, and her eyes began to widen in horror. The dresses, the date… damn it, she was so busy lately, putting the final touches on the Astray OS and practicing with Misuumi that she'd completely spaced what day it was!

"No," she groaned. "No, no, no, no! I know what you're thinking, and I'm sure you've already gotten it all approved! I'll never figure out how you got it by Lieutenant Badgiruel, but you're not getting it by me! I refuse to do this!"

"You don't have a choice, Makoto," said Shizuka with an almost leering expression as Serenity and Misuumi looked on in open amusement. In Shizuka's hands was a small disk. "Unless you want me to show everyone exactly what happened at that party? I've held onto this recording all these years for just that purpose!"

"Eep!" squealed Makoto, instantly repeating the scene from the hangar when they rescued Lacus in the Debris Belt. More than a few of those present were eyeing the disk almost mischievously. "Alright, alright, I'll go!"

"Excellent," said Serenity, grabbing a laptop off of the coffee table behind her and shoving it into Makoto's hands. "All the data from your compact has already been put on here. It's the latest and most up-to-date laptop available, with all the power of one of Morgenroete's lesser super computers." Then, Serenity said the words that Makoto had been dreading since she realized all of her friends knew what day it was.

"Happy birthday, Makoto."

* * *

Streets of Onogoro

A short while later

"No! Hell no! I agreed to let you guys take me out, but we are _not_ going to a karaoke bar!" came a female voice. Though they couldn't place it, it was familiar to the members of the Zala Team, and it prompted them to stop and look at the source.

What they saw caught them completely by surprise.

A group of teenagers was heading down the street on the opposite side, in the opposite direction, and four girls—two brunettes, a redhead, and a pink-haired girl they all immediately recognized as Lacus—were dragging another redhead by her arms, as she struggled futilely to escape them. The boys in the group were watching this with all-too apparent amusement.

Athrun and Erik were both shocked. They instantly recognized Kira and Makoto in that mess. Of course, everyone was surprised to see Lacus there as well.

"What the…? What's going on?" asked Yzak quietly as the ZAFT pilots stood there in shock. Then, to their surprise, Makoto broke free of the four girls holding her and bolted—straight across the empty street and into them. Though Makoto managed to stay mostly on her feet, she ended up knocking Nicol and Saul down.

"Ah geez, I'm _so_ sor—Athrun Zala?!" said Makoto, shocked as she realized who she'd barreled into. The members of the Zala Team, as well as the group of (seemingly) Orb citizens all froze in shock at Makoto's words.

"Athrun? What are you doing here?" asked Lacus. Makoto let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Somehow, she felt that with Lacus there, things would be fine.

"I was about to ask you the same thing," said Athrun, shifting nervously. He honestly had no answer.

Fortunately, while Lacus sometimes acted naively, this was only because of her pacifistic nature. The girl was quite bright, even by Coordinator standards.

"I was coming down to visit Reverend Malchio," she said. "And I decided to stop here in Orb for a few days to visit Makoto and Kira. Especially since it's Makoto's birthday today."

"Really?" said Athrun, frowning slightly. Makoto… he remembered that name. The Raven pilot—Chris, Athrun recalled—had mentioned it when he'd given Lacus back to Athrun. She was the Dauntless pilot, then.

"Yeah," said Makoto as the others came up behind her.

"Hi… Athrun," said Kira softly. The ZAFT pilots—with the exception of Eric, whose eyes widened in sudden realization—were looking back and forth between the two groups in confusion.

"Athrun… do you know them?" asked Nicol, indicating the other group, aside from Lacus, of course.

"Not really," said Athrun, looking at Kira. "I know Kira. We were friends back on the moon. I had no idea he'd moved to Orb though."

Kira, who'd been somewhat unconsciously tensing, relaxed slightly. Athrun wasn't going to tell the others the truth. He glanced around at his friends for a moment, and was relieved to see that all of them had realized they needed to be quiet regarding what they knew about Athrun as well.

Makoto's eyes focused on one of the ZAFT soldiers though. She recognized him, though this was the first really good look she'd gotten at his face. Erik's own eyes focused on her as well.

"Erik," said Makoto softly, drawing stares from almost everyone present, though Kira, Chris, and Liz all sucked in surprised breaths. "It's been awhile."

Erik gave a grin that was both apologetic and sheepish. "Yeah, sorry about that," he said. "But, somehow, I didn't think I'd be allowed to keep my head if you saw me again so soon after what I did last time."

Makoto smiled, with a tint of sadness to it, though it was hard to see. "No, you probably wouldn't have," she said. "I still haven't forgiven you either, but I won't kill you for it. I think."

"You two know each other?" said Athrun, carefully hiding the suspicion in his voice.

"Not really," said Erik. "We only met briefly, but I ended up destroying her most valuable possession by accident. To be frank, I'm lucky she didn't kill me on the spot."

"I was rather inclined to do just that, but you run just a bit faster than me when you're scared out of your wits," said Makoto, smirking dangerously. Erik sighed, as everyone relaxed fully.

"Hey, so long as you're here, why don't you come with us?" suggested Lacus. "You haven't really seen Kira in a few years, right?"

No one present was a fool, but there was rather widespread ignorance, particularly for the ZAFT pilots. Those fully in the know, however, recognized Lacus's goal.

"Not so sure about that," said Dearka. "I mean, we'd love to. It'd be nice to get acquainted with some of Athrun's friends, but…"

"There's some really important business we have to attend to," said Saul. "And then we have to head home."

"I think we missed our deadline, though," said Erik suddenly, drawing looks of surprise from his fellow infiltrators. "Excuse us for a moment please."

Erik led the ZAFT pilots a short distance from the others, where even the Coordinators shouldn't be able to overhear them.

"What the hell are you thinking Erik?!" whispered Yzak furiously. "We need to find out if the legged ship…"

"Morgenroete infiltration is a suicide mission," said Erik. "And at this point, if the legged ship isn't here, then it's already out of our reach. Frankly, that was how things were when we first infiltrated. Even if we see the legged ship with our own eyes and make it out, we still wouldn't have the concrete evidence needed to do anything more than wait." Everyone was silent for a moment, Athrun giving Erik a sharp, searching look. "Hey, someone back me up here!"

"He's right," said Saul finally, though it may have been motivated more by his desire to avoid a Morgenroete infiltration altogether. Yzak grit his teeth, though Dearka seemed to be turning it over.

"I suppose he is," said Athrun softly. He was certain now: Erik understood the reality of Athrun's situation. He knew that the legged ship really was in Orb. And he was offering an escape from a now pointless mission without having to compromise who Kira and his friends really were.

"I guess," said Dearka. "We could probably use just a little R&R as it is."

"I think Yzak is the only one still objecting to this," said Saul, staring at the scarred Coordinator. Yzak closed his eyes, and seemed to be visibly trying to cool down. Finally, after a moment of silence, he opened his eyes and nodded.

"Alright," he said. "I'll go along with this. Besides, it's a request from Lacus Clyne. Wouldn't want to disappoint the Chairman's daughter, and our commander's fiancée, right?"

Athrun only sighed as they headed back over to the others.

"Alright, I guess we'll be joining you," said Athrun. "Erik's right. The business was personal anyways, and while important to us personally, well…"

"We understand," said Makoto. "Well, since you and Kira know each other the best, how about you introduce us all?"

"Ah, right," said Athrun, eyes sweeping over all of Kira's friends. "Well, as you've probably gathered, I'm Athrun Zala. My friends here are Nicol Amalfi, Erik Saharin, Yzak Joule, Dearka Elsman, and Saul Kessel."

Makoto nodded, glancing at Kira and sighing.

"Well, you already know Kira and Lacus, of course," she said. "My name's Makoto Arata, the victim of the day. The others are Christopher Dante, his sister, Elizabeth, Chris's girlfriend, Flay Allster." The ZAFT pilots noticed a slight scowl on the face of the glasses-wearing blonde. "And our friends, Sai Argyle, Miriallia Haw, and Tolle Koenig."

"A pleasure," said Athrun.

"And now, if you wouldn't mind helping us," said Liz, looking at Makoto with a sadistic gleam in her eyes. The redhead gulped. "Hold her, so that she can't get away! We're taking her to that karaoke bar if it's the last thing we do!"

"I'm not going!" cried the redhead, but before she could even try to run, nearly the entire group descended on her, trapping her.

* * *

Himeji Karaoke Bar

Half an hour later

"You've been planning this with my aunt for days, haven't you?" groaned Makoto, sitting on the bench in their karaoke lounge, her face buried in her hands. It wasn't just _any_ karaoke lounge, either. The Himeji was among the top karaoke bars in the world—and like a surprising number of other businesses in Orb, it was primarily owned by Makoto's family. Not only that, but they'd been given the use of the Himeji's best lounge.

Makoto peeked through her fingers before quickly burying her face back in her hands at the sight in front of her. Presents… a whole mess of them. And a large, strawberry ice cream cake. With two large bowls of punch set to the side—one for her, the other for everyone else—a variety of sodas, teas, doner kebabs (somebody was being funny…), sushi, Chinese food (including a big dish of Mongolian beef), rice, pizzas, pasta… the list went on like that for awhile.

"We're you trying to feed an _army_?" she moaned despairingly. "This is ridiculous!"

"Well, I can't argue with that," admitted Liz, grinning along with everyone else—even Yzak couldn't help but be amused—at the miserable redhead. "But cheer up! It's your birthday, you're supposed to be happy and celebratory!"

"I've always thought birthdays should be private affairs for immediate family only," said Makoto, trying to sound indignant, but failing miserably in her embarrassment. "Besides, how could I forget it's my birthday when you've got those banners hanging all over the place?" Liz only smirked as she pat Makoto's back in a 'comforting' manner. It only seemed to increase the redhead's misery.

"All right, enough of making her miserable," said Lacus, coming to Makoto's rescue. "Let's get started! Who wants to go first?"

A chorus of "not it"'s came from the girls and unexpected invitees, but Makoto and the boys were silent, though in Makoto's case, it was because she'd already decided that it was time to call in a Russian Volunteer. The redhead stood up, grabbed her best friend, and tossed the unfortunate brunette onto the Karaoke Stage, glaring at her in a manner that had everyone pulling back.

"Get started," she said in a voice that was ice cold. Gulping, Liz nodded, while Chris snickered as he picked out a song that he thought would be perfect for this.

Unfortunately, Makoto realized what he was about to do, and promptly smacked him in the back of the head.

"Not that one, I hate that song," said Makoto coldly. Gulping, Chris nodded, while Liz took her turn to snicker at her sibling invoking the wrath of their superior officer. Makoto sighed, and stepped over to the computer.

"You all dragged me into this, so we're gonna use songs of _my_ choice, understood?" she said, glaring at everyone pointedly, even the ZAFT soldiers who'd been dragged into this no different than her. "There, I think that will work."

Chris looked at her choice and blinked. "Um, Makoto? I don't think a Japanese song…"

"What, you don't understand it?" asked Makoto, rolling her eyes. "You're a citizen of Orb and have no understanding of our so-called 'native language'? Honestly."

English had been adopted as a trade language, for a variety of reasons. It was a universal language, but the various regions still held on to their ancient tongues. Many of Orb's citizens could trace their lineage back to Japan, and evidence of Japanese culture could be found seeded throughout the Union, if one bothered to look.

"We were citizens of the PLANTs until a year and a half ago, remember?" said Chris defensively. Makoto shrugged.

"I don't care," she said. "Anyways, as it happens, I enjoy a lot of old world songs. That time the lot of you eavesdropped on me? The song was from the same artist."

"Okay," said Chris as Makoto hit the enter button, and Liz sighed with a sort of relief that she could finally get started and get it over with.

**(A/N: this link leads to a video featuring the song in question. I shouldn't need to explain the changes necessary: **http:// www dot youtube dot com /watch?v=w08YvftQLS8**)**

_Itsuka mita yume  
Todokanai tsubuyaki dake  
Yoru no hikari ni tsutsumarete samayoi yuku  
Yagate mihiraku sono hitomi Unmei nara  
Semete Sou, ima dake…_

Smiling, Makoto stepped away from the computer and glanced around. While Liz sang, everyone else had begun enjoying themselves, sampling the variety of dishes available. Makoto shook her head in exasperation before her eyes fell on one pair. A stray thought crossed her mind, and Makoto immediately headed for the ZAFT soldiers.

"Excuse me, Athrun, could I talk to you alone?" she asked politely. Now that she'd put Liz on the stage and put Chris in his place as well, she was having an easier time with her embarrassment. Of course, she still had to put a few more people in their proper place, and Lacus was at the top of her list of remaining victims.

"Sure," said Athrun with a slight nod, following her to an empty table, the farthest from where everyone else was sitting. The lounge was big, only slightly shy of a proper bar in and of itself. "What's up?"

_Kanawanai to utsumuku Yorukaze ni tada unadare  
Namida Tsukikage Te no hira ni afureteyuku  
Nani ga hoshii no?  
Kuchibiru wa yami ni furuete ita_

"I know you aren't blind," said Makoto, keeping her voice low. "You and I both realize who everyone here is. Fortunately, at the moment, we're not enemies, though this will make things harder later on." Athrun nodded, wondering where this was going. "Now then, I noticed Kira's and Lacus's behavior back in space. What I want to hear is your opinion of Lacus in regards to Kira."

Initially confused, Athrun realized quickly where Makoto was going. After all, he'd have to have been blind, deaf, and mentally disabled to not understand how Lacus felt about Kira, even if his fiancée didn't realize it entirely herself.

"She has a crush on him," said Athrun quietly. "At the _least_."

_Deatta ano toki ni mune tsuita egao  
Mamoritakute Zutto kuzuresou na yakusoku wo  
Itami tsubusu hodo ni dakishimeteta_

"I thought so," said Makoto with a smirk. "I need to pay Lacus back for her role in all this. I'm sure the message will fly right over the heads of your friends over there, so here's what we'll do…" The two leaned in conspirationally as she continued, and Athrun had to fight down a laugh as Makoto explained her plan for mild vengeance.

_Soba ni ireru dake de  
Onaji jikan ni irareru dake de  
Tooi kioku Yomigaeru kanashimi mo atatamete yukeru noni  
Mawari tsuzukete iru omoi ni  
Yasuragi michita owari wa kuru no?  
Kurikaeshita toikake wa ten ni mai  
Ake no sora no Hikari ni kawaru_

"What do you think they're up too?" asked Chris, sipping his root beer and standing near the table the ZAFT pilots had picked out. Flay was closer to the karaoke stage, watching Liz with Kira and Lacus.

"Who knows," muttered Yzak darkly. He was still pretty angry about getting dragged into all this, though the food was good and Makoto's embarrassment had at least somewhat appeased him.

"No doubt its something devious," said Erik, thinking of his varied encounters with the dangerous redhead. Even the first time they'd fought in mobile suits, she'd been able to equal him. Now, she surpassed him entirely.

While Erik was a decent enough pilot on his own, his real talent lay in his analytical ability. It was responsible for getting him the ranking of an elite in the Le Creuset Team. In his opinion, the two best pilots of the Zala Team were Zane and Athrun himself. For the legged ship, their most skilled was the Hawk of Endymion. But the best they had to offer were, beyond a shadow of a doubt, Kira and Makoto, who he measured as equal to the Zala Team's best. He wasn't sure what it was about them, but he knew they were the strongest opponents the Zala Team would ever face.

Erik shook his head. Now wasn't the time to think about that. At least for today, they weren't enemies.

They were, for lack of a better term, friends.

_Subete maboroshi Ukande wa mata kieteku  
Janen kakikesu yubisaki ni karamitsuita mushoku no kusari  
Mogaku hodo kodoku wo andeita_

Kira frowned as he listened to the song. Besides Makoto, the only ones present who fully understood Japanese were him, Lacus, Tolle, and Miriallia. As such, he found it kind of interesting that Makoto would choose a song like this.

It was oddly… reflective, he supposed.

He was surprised when the redhead in question sat down beside him, casting him a small smile.

"So I'm a sap believer in the power of love," she said. "Anything wrong with that?"

Smiling, both Kira and Lacus shook their heads.

"Not at all," said Kira, turning his attention back to Liz.

_Tachikirareru you ni kibisu kaesu kaze  
Tsumetasugiru ima mo "Kimi ga iru kara dayo" to  
Yami ni ochita kotoba Hanarenai_

"What were you two talking about?" asked Nicol as Athrun rejoined his fellow pilots.

"Nothing too important," said Athrun casually, purposely making sure the others realized he was hiding something. Erik suppressed a groan, while Dearka cast his eyes towards Lacus, Kira, and Makoto.

"Are Kira and Makoto dating?" asked Dearka out of the blue. Athrun and Chris, both in the middle of taking a sip of soda, choked and ended up coughing up some of their drinks. "What? I'm just saying; they seem pretty close."

The others looked at the two, and nodded slightly in agreement.

"Well, to the casual, outside observer, I suppose it might look like that," said Chris. "But believe me, they're nothing more than friends. She's his superior in Morgenroete. We used to live on Heliopolis, which is where we met her. After the attack, Makoto got us all jobs at Morgenroete, since it turned out her family has a lot of influence. Actually, they even own this bar." Chris didn't miss the slight wince of the pilots when he mentioned the attack.

"Really?" asked Nicol, glancing at the emerald-eyed redhead and trying to conceal their reaction to the mention of Heliopolis. "Must be wealthy."

Chris snorted. "You have no idea," he muttered, too quiet for even Coordinators to fully make out.

_Iki wo shiteru dake de  
Onaji itami wo kanjiru dake de  
Honno sukoshi shiawase wo tsumiageru ai  
Kizuite shimatta  
Kogoete kata yoseru hitomi ni  
Mamoritai mono Mitsukatta kara  
Tsugi no yoake Te ni shiteta koukai de sabita kakera  
Hikari ni kaeru_

"You know, I think I may have to revise my opinion," said Makoto mildly. "Its just Chris who doesn't get Japanese. To sing Agony so well, Liz must have a decent grasp on it."

"You're right," said Mir, sounding curious. Aside from Chris, she knew Liz the best, overall. Although Makoto and Liz were good friends, Mir had known Liz for a much longer time. In all that time, though, she'd never known Liz to say anything about her knowledge of the Japanese language, and had even been given the impression that Liz didn't understand a word of it.

"Makoto, shouldn't you try some of the food?" asked Kira, looking at her curiously. Sighing, Makoto nodded.

_Fureau dake de sono shiawase wo omotte dake de  
Komiageteku  
Tsuka no ma no sayonara mo Kienu kizuna ni naru to_

"My compliments to the chef," said Saul as he sampled several different dishes. "This is pretty good."

"I think her aunt hired the best she could find to make this," said Chris as Flay sat down next to him. "Makoto's relatives helped us plot this little party. To be frank, I always thought Makoto was a little on the eccentric side, but compared to her relatives, she strikes me as pretty damn normal."

"I see," said Athrun, glancing over at her and blinking. "What is she…?"

_Soba ni irareru dake de  
Onaji jikan ni irareru dake de  
Tooi kioku Yomigaeru kanashimi mo atatamete yukeru noni  
Kizamikomarete ita shirushi ni  
Michibikare mata taoreru toki mo  
Mitsumeatta isshun ga sennen no kioku wo koe  
Hikari ni kawaru_

Liz faltered at the end, and the others—save for Lacus—gaped in astonishment. When Makoto had gotten herself some sushi, Mongolian beef, curry, octopus karaage, shrimp tempura, and several other dishes (primarily traditional Japanese cuisine, though), she'd been very slow and formal with what little she'd had. However, the instant she'd confirmed nobody had done anything to her punch (only Chris, Lacus, Flay, and Liz knew what that was about), she'd proceeded to guzzle more than half the bowl in the time it took Liz to sing the final verse of the song.

Makoto paused in her (obsessive) drinking as she felt all eyes on her, and snapped a glare at everyone in the room.

"What?" she demanded, acid dripping from her voice.

"N-n-nothing," stuttered Liz as she stepped off the stage. "Um… who's next?"

Mir was the only one brave enough to volunteer in the face of Makoto's apparent irritation.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later

After Mir and Flay had gotten a turn, they decided to take a short break. The ZAFT pilots had been relieved to hear that they wouldn't have to get up on the stage—primarily Liz's work, apparently, something about thinking any male who didn't practice a lot would do nothing but hurt the ears of anyone listening. Makoto had fumed slightly at this, since it ruined some of her revenge plans. Still, her primary targets (Liz and Lacus) would be fine, so she supposed it didn't matter too much.

Makoto sighed as she looked everyone in the lounge over. There was a definite since of surrealness to it all for her. For Kira, Chris, and the others, it was easy to mingle with the ZAFT soldiers. For Kira, one of them, Athrun, was his friend. For the others, they had never seen any of these pilots faces, and it became easy enough to separate them from the Gundams that had been chasing them since Heliopolis.

For Makoto, it wasn't so easy. One of these pilots had killed her parents right before her very eyes. And she had also seen Athrun's face before—he was, after all, the son of PLANT Defense Committee Chairman Zala. His face had been in the media on a few occasions—and she was an Orb Princess, no matter how much she disliked it. Noble blood—_royal_ blood—ran through her veins, and it had left her trapped for a long, long time. She'd been born to this position, and as she understood it, there was no escaping it, either. She'd had two cousins, born between six months and a year before she was, to two different aunts—one to Serenity, another to a now-deceased aunt. Both of them were now dead, and Serenity was as infertile as Makoto's own mother had been.

In other words, she and Shizuka were the only ones who could carry on the Taiyonoha bloodline. And unless a cure for Coordinator sterility was discovered within the next century, Makoto's line would end in a mere two or three generations.

Regardless, Makoto was still trapped. She wasn't sure why, but Serenity was determined that Makoto be her successor, not Shizuka. The redhead was sure she could've swayed her aunt, if it weren't for the fact that Shizuka actually agreed with Serenity.

That left Makoto in her current position: fascinated with mobile suits thanks to her uncle, her parents dead, a soldier for the Earth Forces, and with six enemy pilots—one of whom was responsible for her parents deaths—celebrating her birthday with her friends.

The redhead sighed in mild exasperation before her eyes drifted to Lacus. The emerald orbs, however, weren't focused on the pink-haired PLANT princess at all. No, they were instead focused on a familiar glow, though like every one of these glows, it was just slightly different, and its color matched the light, sky blue eyes of its bearer.

Makoto shook her head, clearing it of her wandering thoughts, and since she was focused on Lacus anyways, she decided it was time to carry out her revenge on the 'Pink Princess'.

"All right, Lacus's turn," said Makoto cheerfully. She saw Athrun's face twist into a grimace as he tried to suppress a sudden burst of laughter, while Lacus visibly gulped at the—in this case—overly cheerful tone Makoto had used.

Suddenly somewhat reluctant—despite initially being excited by the prospect of singing, since it was something she loved to do—Lacus still went ahead and got up on the stage, resigning herself to whatever it was that Makoto was planning for her as the song was selected. By _Athrun_, not Makoto. Suddenly, Lacus was even more worried, particularly with the smirk her fiancé sent her way.

The music started playing, and Lacus felt her stomach clench and eyes widen in horror. Like Makoto, she enjoyed finding and listening to some of the pre-Reconstruction War era music, and this one—which the redhead had introduced her to during their brief encounter in Cosmic Era 66—was one she hadn't been able to get entirely off her mind since she'd first departed the _Archangel_—and Kira.

Nevertheless, she didn't have much choice; not if she wanted to fulfill the entire point for this elaborate karaoke party.

**(A/N: a 'link' to this song as well, of course:** http:// www dot youtube dot com /watch?v=8o3rEGfZoUo**)**

_Get a load of me,  
Get a load of you,  
Walking down the street  
And I hardly know you  
It's just like we were meant to be_

Lacus concealed her slight blush fairly well, but Makoto and Athrun both caught it, having been expecting it since Makoto had told Athrun about her plan. Chris and Liz, meanwhile, also caught on, and both were trying to suppress their laughter, though they were both quite shocked that Makoto would pull something like this.

_Holding hands with you,  
When we're out at night,  
Got a girlfriend  
You say it isn't right,  
And I've got someone waiting too._

The remaining refugee-soldiers began to catch on, and struggled to suppress their own amused grins—none more so than Tolle, who had overheard much of Kira and Lacus's discussion in the _Archangel_ corridors.

Kira's eyes began to widen as he, too, began to catch on.

_The problem is, this is just the beginning  
We're already wet and we're gonna go swimming_

Everyone's willpower began to falter, and snickering could now be heard in the lounge from a few of them, though most were simply grinning unashamedly at Lacus or Kira.

Aside from Erik, who was beginning to suspect just what was going on, the ZAFT pilots were utterly bewildered at the behavior of Athrun and their companions.

_Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you?  
Why can't I speak whenever I talk about you?  
Its inevitable, it's a fact that we're gonna get down to it  
So tell me…  
Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you?_

At this point, Makoto and Athrun both pointedly stood up and pushed Kira in front of Lacus, confirming Erik's growing suspicions and causing the eyes of the other ZAFT pilots to widen in disbelief.

After ensuring that the struggling brunet wouldn't be going anywhere, Makoto and Athrun proceeded to move to the back of the lounge, as far away from the stage where a now profusely blushing Lacus stood as they could get, and proceeded to fall over from the force of their suppressed laughter.

_Isn't this the best part of breaking up  
Finding someone else you can't get enough of  
Someone who wants to be with you too_

The lounge was now filled with not only with the sound of Lacus singing, but also with barely suppressed snickers and giggles. The ZAFT pilots were openly gaping, and Kira, remembering all of Lacus's time on the _Archangel_ and the time he'd spent with her here in Orb, was also beginning to blush in embarrassment—Makoto and Athrun had made it perfectly clear who they felt Lacus would be referring to/thinking of when she sang this song.

_Its an itch we know we are gonna scratch  
Gonna take a while for this egg to hatch  
But wouldn't it be beautiful?_

Kira and Lacus both resigned themselves to their fate, and simultaneously decided never to get on Makoto's bad side again.

_Here we go we_'_re at the beginning  
We haven't—_

Here, Lacus turned as red as Makoto's hair, pointedly coughing to avoid the next few lines, and Makoto, the only one who knew the song as well as the pink-haired girl, was no longer able to suppress her laughter at all and started to laugh very loudly, though she muffled it somewhat with her hands.

—_but my head's spinning_

Lacus picked up a few words after she left off, skipping the one that had caused her deep blush, but her face was still the color of Makoto's hair.

_Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you?  
Why can't I speak whenever I talk about you?  
It's inevitable, it's a fact that we're gonna get down to it  
So tell me…  
Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you?_

Makoto finally got her laughter back under control, and grabbed Athrun as everyone stared at her, curious as to why she'd been laughing so hard.

"Lacus is a pervert," she whispered to Athrun. Athrun blinked at her curiously.

_I'd love for you to make me wonder  
Where it's goin'  
I'd love for you to pull me under  
Somethin's growin'  
Out of this that we can control  
Baby I am dyin'_

Makoto shook her head and proceeded back towards the stage, her irritation at her whole party vanishing entirely with this. For her, personally, this was a bigger victory than all the battles she'd fought since Heliopolis combined.

_Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you?  
Why can't I speak whenever talk about you?_

The song near its end, Makoto sat down in her chair, smirking at the two blushing Coordinators in a manner that was simultaneously fond and triumphant. And no one present could blame her.

She'd won… regardless of what battle she'd been fighting, the redhead had won.

Well… both Lacus and Kira knew better than that.

_Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you?  
Why can't I speak whenever I talk about you?  
It's inevitable, it's a fact that we're gonna get down to it  
So tell me…  
Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you?_

_Whenever I think about you…  
Whenever I think about you…  
Whenever I think about you…  
Whenever I think about you…_

To the surprise of Kira and Lacus, the laughter and snickering had stopped as the song finished, and everyone applauded Lacus's singing appreciatively—though for the ZAFT pilots (besides Athrun), the applause was rather stunned as well. Particularly since they _knew_ that Athrun had been in on Makoto's plot.

"So there," said Makoto. "That'll be your present to me—you two go on a date before Lacus has to leave Orb. I don't care if she is engaged—neither she nor her fiancé here care."

The heads of the ignorant refugees—Tolle hadn't shared much of what he overheard with the others, so Flay, Mir and Sai hadn't known about Lacus's engagement to Kira's best friend—snapped to Makoto suddenly, then flew to Lacus, then, as they put in the final piece of the puzzle, focused on Athrun.

"Really now, I don't think my father would approve…" said Lacus, sounding nervous, which was completely new to all of them.

"I don't believe that for an instant, and neither do you," said Makoto pointedly. "You're father would want you to be happy, right? Neither you, nor Athrun, would be happy fulfilling that agreement between your fathers."

"She's right, Lacus," said Athrun, taking Makoto's side somewhat surprisingly to most. "Come on you two, do as she says. I'm sure you'd enjoy yourselves."

"But…" started Kira when Chris decided to intervene—as an added bonus, he'd also get to ensure he wasn't on Makoto's bad side anymore, which he now fully realized was a very, _very_, bad place to be.

"No buts here," said Chris. "We _all_ insist, right?" There were nods of agreement, even from the ZAFT pilots, who'd been shown the (near) full force of Makoto and Athrun's glares when they hadn't immediately agreed.

"Fine," said Lacus. "But in exchange, I get to pick the song you sing Makoto."

Makoto shrugged. "That's fine with me," she said. "Not like you have anything on me to measure up with that."

Lacus only smiled sweetly, but something about that smile made Makoto suddenly uncertain… especially since Kira was now smirking at her as well.

Shaking her head, Makoto decided there was no way they could pull anything to beat what she'd dropped on their heads, and stepped onto the stage while Lacus stepped over to the computer.

"This is the real reason we went through the trouble of this whole party," said Lacus sweetly. "You can thank Lady Serenity for this."

"My aunt?" asked Makoto, confused. Then, the song began playing, and Makoto frowned. She didn't recognize this…

Her eyes suddenly widened as the beat picked up. No… the general tune… no… how… she was going to kill her aunt when this was through!

Lacus smiled. "I win," she said. "You're going to pursue your dream… whether you like it or not!" Makoto glared at the pink-haired girl… but at this point, realized she _had_ to do this.

Lacus was right. Singing was something Makoto loved. Just as much as Lacus did.

Closing her eyes, Makoto steeled herself. Then, she opened them, emerald orbs shining with a unique determination that more than a few of those present had missed seeing in them.

She'd never sung this song to music. Other than that, she had no need for the karaoke machine.

**(A/N: alright, last one. I wanted an AMV, but YouTube disabled the audio on it:** http:// www dot youtube dot com /watch?v=fCF3VPwLHUU**)**

_Waits for the day, I will let it out  
To give it a reason, to give it its might_

Everyone looked at each other curiously, except for Kira and Lacus. Makoto was barely even paying attention to the screen.

_I fear who I am becoming,  
I feel that I'm losing the struggle within  
I can no longer restrain it,  
My strength, it is fading  
I have to give in_

Liz's eyes went wide with sudden realization. No one was familiar with this song… because none of them had heard it before. No one had ever sung it before now, at least, not where others could hear it. The message was all too obvious to her; after all, she knew Makoto the best.

_It's the fear,  
Fear of the dark  
It's growing inside of me  
They won, they will come to life_

"What's this all about?" asked Dearka, understanding there was a lot more to this than just another song. The other ZAFT pilots shrugged, when Liz spoke up.

"Makoto wrote this song herself," she said. "It's about her…"

"What?" whispered Saul.

_Have to save,  
Save my beloved,  
There is no escaping  
Because my fate is horror and doom_

As though in a trance, Makoto ceased to stand still, or even pay attention to the screen. The girl had fallen into her song, and she was now slowly dancing to it. But her dancing was picking up speed quickly.

Erik's eyes had gone wide as he, too, began to understand the implications of this song. Though Kira and Lacus had helped to plot this, they hadn't realized the details, and came to the same shocking conclusion as Liz had; at about the same time that Chris realized it as well.

_Hold down your head now,  
Just let me pass by  
Don't feed my fear,  
If you don't want it out_

Athrun shivered. This song… it practically screamed of everything that had happened to Kira, Makoto, and everyone else aboard the legged ship since Heliopolis.

Only someone blind or ignorant could fail to realize that. Athrun and Erik were neither—fortunately, their friends were indeed ignorant.

_I fear who I am becoming,  
I feel that I'm losing all beauty within  
I can no longer restrain it,  
My strength, it is fading  
I have to give in_

Makoto's dancing had a certain intensity too it now. Thoughts began to fly from the minds of the audience as they became enraptured in what they were seeing and hearing.

_It's the fear,  
Fear of the dark  
It's growing inside of me  
They won, they will come to life_

Makoto poured her heart into this song. It was the truth—she'd come to fear herself. Within her own heart, a darkness had begun to fester and grow. And it terrified her.

No more.

_Have to save,  
Save my beloved,  
There is no escaping  
Because my fate is horror and doom_

Makoto's thoughts turned to her parents. Their killer was in this room… yet she didn't even care. She no longer held him responsible for their deaths. It hadn't been his goal. He'd just been doing his job, as provoked by the Earth Forces.

By Makoto.

_Long ago, it came to me and ever since that day,  
Infected with it's rage  
But it ends today_

The Gundam was her design. Sure, her parents would've ended up developing mobile suits for the Earth Forces anyways, since they were among the best Morgenroete had to offer. Yet, it was because the Gundam, the Dauntless, was her creation that her parents had been so determined to protect it.

_It's the fear,  
Fear of the dark  
It's growing inside of me  
They won, they will come to life_

They'd given their life to keep the Dauntless out of ZAFT's hands. She'd give hers, more than willingly, to keep it from being abused by the Earth Forces either.

_This_ was the true reason she joined O.M.N.I. Enforcer. Why she joined the _Archangel_ crew, why she became a pilot.

She wouldn't lie: she wasn't nearly as noble about it all as Kira was. True, she'd have done it simply to protect her friends as well, but with the Dauntless, her creation, her _parents'_ most heart-filled work, protecting her friends became a bonus she was all to happy to accept.

_Have to save,  
Save my beloved,  
There is no escaping  
Because my fate is horror and doom_

Yes… that's right.

Well then, it was time to change that fate.

* * *

"Wha—?" murmured Dearka as everyone shook off the, for lack of a better term, 'spell' Makoto had cast. "What was that?"

"A song about Makoto's hardships," said Liz sadly. "Her parents died in the Heliopolis attack… she's thrown herself into her new job ever since."

The ZAFT pilots all shifted guiltily, none more so than Erik.

"She seems so strong," said Nicol softly. "But she's really pretty fragile, isn't she?"

"Too fragile," said Lacus.

* * *

Outside Himeji Karaoke Bar

Half an hour later

"Thanks for the great time," said Athrun. Smiling, his fellow ZAFT pilots all nodded.

"Yeah, that was actually surprisingly enjoyable," said Yzak honestly. "It's a shame we won't be able to do this again for awhile."

"Yes, but with any luck, we _will_ be able to do it again," said Makoto. "And I'd suggest you all practice as well—next time, I'll be making the boys sing as well."

"Yeah, yeah," said Dearka. "Well, we need to get going. See ya." With that, Dearka walked away with Saul, Yzak, and Nicol, all of them waving back. The Earth Forces soldiers and Lacus all waved to them, and then the bulk of the group left as well. Lacus paused, looking at Athrun.

"I'm sorry, Athrun," she said. Athrun smiled and shook his head.

"It's okay," he said. "I understand. I'm happy for you… and I'm only sorry that my mission may jeopardize that happiness."

Lacus smiled.

"I don't think it will," she said. "The truth is, you are all good people. I trust in that." Smiling, Lacus turned and followed after the Heliopolis refugees, leaving Athrun with Erik, Kira, Makoto, Chris, and Liz. Liz, however, frowned and, after receiving a slight nod from Makoto, followed after Lacus.

"Did you mean what you said back in the desert, Erik?" asked Makoto softly. "Will you keep coming after me?"

Erik was quiet for a moment before he spoke up.

"I think so," he said. "Understand this, please. I can't be trusted by anyone. Not even myself. I just hope you don't have to see just why that is." Makoto nodded in response. "And… I know it doesn't count for much, but for what it's worth, I'm sorry."

"I know," said Makoto. Erik nodded and turned to walk away. Makoto looked at Athrun, and gave a small smile.

"Be careful about who you trust, Athrun," she said. "People on every side are guilty of escalating this war. Find those you can trust to fight for reasons that are truly worthy, and stick by them. Don't trust anyone you don't think desires peace." Athrun nodded, and shook hands with his opposite number, who then followed after her friends.

"Give Zane a message for me, will you?" said Chris. "Tell him that I won't let him hurt my friends. And that if it's in my power, I'll get my old friend back."

"I will," said Athrun. "But I don't think there's anything other than the monster he's become inhabiting that body." Chris shrugged.

"Maybe," he said. "That doesn't mean I won't try."

"I'll tell him that," said Athrun.

"Thanks," said Chris, shaking Athrun's hand before following Makoto, leaving the two former friends alone as Birdie circled overhead before swooping down and landing on Athrun's outstretched hand.

"Athrun…" said Kira softly. Athrun shook his head.

"I think I understand a little better now," said Athrun. "Kira… my mission is to destroy the Strike. I know I can't convince you to just stay here unless your friends do. Just… if we do destroy the Strike, please, try to make sure you survive."

"You've threatened my other friends," said Kira. "This whole war is pointless. I hate it. But so long as my friends need my protection, I'll continue to provide it. Makoto needs my support—and I have friends among the officers of the ship as well. People who believe in me and all of us just as much as we believe in them."

"I see," said Athrun, holding Birdie out to Kira. "You haven't changed. I'm glad."

Kira nodded. "Bye… Athrun."

He held out his hand, and Birdie hopped from Athrun's hand to Kira's, turning around to face his creator as Kira moved the robotic pet closer to his chest. Athrun smiled.

"See you around, Kira."

* * *

**Author's Notes: Well, I hope everyone enjoyed that. The end, I think, was perfect. Some people might also think we've been idle for a bit too long, and that it's time to get back to the action, to the turning point of the destruction of the Strike and Aegis, and the rise of the Freedom and Justice. I also have some special bombshells for people, and next chapter will contain two hints as to the names of a pair of future Gundams. I'll commend anyone who can spot them (except two people, who shall remain unnamed).**

**The shift of the Kira-Athrun encounter to Makoto's birthday party is something I've planned from the beginning. The first anime to truly capture my imagination and heart was _Card Captor Sakura_. The lead characters, Sakura and Shaoron, were both born on April 1st. In a bit of a tribute to that, I set Makoto's birthday as April 1st. When I checked the timeline and found that they were in Orb at this time, I made plans for this chapter.**

**On a sidenote, after checking things over, I realized that the birthdays of the canon characters are generally ignored--for instance, Kira is sixteen at the beginning of _SEED_, but at the end, he's seventeen. Yet, in _SEED Destiny_, when he should be nineteen, he's apparently eighteen instead. Are we facing a glaring inconsistency here, or is it just me? Check his birthday, the date of _SEED_'s beginning, and his age at the beginning, and you'll see what I mean.**

**Oh well, what does it matter. Anyways, I've bumped Chris's birthday down some (he was originally a few months older than Makoto, but for story purposes, that won't work, given their particular ages). So, the ages of our current lead characters come out too:**

**Makoto, age 17 (birthday April 1st)  
Chris, age 16 (birthday May 3rd (a day after they reach JOSH-A))  
Kira, age 16 (birthday May 18th (three days after the _Archangel_ returned to Orb))**

**Just something interesting to note.**

**Oh well, I imagine I'm boring you all at this point. Anyways, below is the translation for Agony, the song Makoto made Liz sing.**

**One last thing: if anyone has ideas for just what presents Makoto received, let me know!  
**

**Please leave a review. Ja ne!**

* * *

_The dream that would come true someday  
Only becomes a faint, unheard mutter  
Wandering while inside the light of the night  
Soon those eyes will open if it's fate  
At least, yes, only now..._

_Feeling down after it didn't happen, I hang my head inside the night wind  
Tears Moonlight Overflowing from my palm  
What do you want?  
My lips uttered in the darkness_

_That smiling face which pierced my heart when we met  
I really want to protect it within the agonizing, crushing pain  
I had embraced our fleeting promise_

_Just to be able to be close to you  
Just to be able to be with you at the same time  
Even if the distant memories are making me warm by the sadness it brings me with  
Within the ever revolving thoughts  
Will our peaceful end come?  
This repeating question dances in the heavens  
And changes into the light of dawn's sky_

_Everything is an illusion, they're gone as soon as they appear  
My fingers that dispose my evil thoughts are entangled with a colorless chain  
Which loneliness braided as much as I struggle_

_My heels are like cutting through the wind  
It's too cold now "It's because you're here"  
But I can't let go of the other words that had fallen into darkness_

_Just taking a breath  
Just to feel the same pain  
Little by little, I finally realized  
Of this love that gathers happiness  
Because in the eyes that rests on my frozen shoulders  
I have found the one I want to protect  
At the next dawn the fragments rusted with regret which I caught  
Could turn into light_

_Just to touch each other, just to think of that happiness  
Welling up inside  
Even if we parted for a moment, becoming a bond that will never vanish_

_Just to be close to you  
Just to be with you at the same time  
Even if the distant memories are making me warm by the sadness it brings me with  
If the guidance within these etched symbols  
Ever fails again  
The moment we meet again shall bypass the memories of a thousand years  
And change into light_


	18. Phase 17: The Turning Point

**I wasn't expected to post again so soon. Then again, this chapter doesn't contain nearly as much in the way of original content, only encompasses a single episode instead of the two I'd originally planned, and I'm in a hurry to post this since I'm going on a camping trip this weekend and won't be able to get any work done at all.**

**That said, I'm also getting really excited about this story again. Much as I enjoyed writing Makoto's birthday, I really do want to get to the h-bombshell I plan to drop on my audience. Also, for those of you who don't already know, Makoto translates to "Sincere", hence the name of the last chapter, as her English name could essentially be interpreted as "Sincerity".**

**Also, kudos to anyone (aside from the two people mentioned in last chapter's A/Ns) who manage to catch the two future Gundam names I'll be using. There in the same section, and one of them is mentioned in a manner reminiscent of Dauntless (you probably won't get that without re-reading the whole thing, or at least chapter two, and even then, you might not catch it till it's too late), while the other is not actually said by any of the characters. I doubt anyone will actually catch it, or realize that I mentioned it when the machine's in question actually do come to light. But, if you have a guess as to what the two names are, then don't say them in a review, PM me, and I'll get back to you when I'm back from my trip.**

**Also, I thought about including the Kira-Lacus date in this chapter, but ultimately decided not too. I think we've all gotten enough fluff/character interaction for awhile, so I decided to move us quickly back into the action. Sorry to all Kira x Lacus fans who wanted to see that date!  
**

**Alright, while I think there may have been something else I wanted to say here, I can't think of anything, so...**

**Disclaimer: Look at the disclaimers in previous chapters. The disclaimers for this story are getting too long for me to keep repeating them.  
**

* * *

Phase Seventeen: The Turning Point

April 11th, C.E. 71

* * *

_Archangel_ Bridge

"Under the present circumstances, our chief concern would be Panama," said Kisaka, clad in an Orb Military uniform. "Capentaria is buzzing with activity and there's rumors of a massive upcoming ZAFT operation."

"How reliable is this information?" asked Natarle.

"I'm not sure," admitted Kisaka. "Orb is in a difficult position. We want intelligence, but we don't want to stir up a hornet's nest either."

"But it would make sense, if there's major activity in Carpentaria," said Victor. "There are four places they'd attack with a large force from that base: Kaohsiung, Panama, Alaska, and Orb. Kaohsiung is already under their control and they don't have a good enough reason to attack Orb, even with Patrick Zala in near-total power in the PLANTs. That leaves Panama and Alaska. Panama is the only logical target. They take Panama, and it's the end of the Earth Forces in space. As valuable as taking Alaska and crippling the Earth Forces central command would be, ZAFT doesn't have the forces for such an attack, unless they were willing to leave their bases undefended and give the Alliance a chance to take some of them back. That would be a disaster for the PLANTs."

Victor took a sip of coffee before scowling slightly. "Of course, if ZAFT takes Panama, it'll spell trouble for Orb too," he said.

"You're talking about Kaguya?" said Murrue.

"Yeah," said Victor. "There's no way that Kaguya hasn't factored into the overall plans of both sides at one point or another. After all, there are only four Mass Drivers total. In the eyes of commanders on both sides, Kaguya is the easiest to take in the short term, but it's been ignored because of the long term repercussions. ZAFT doesn't have the numbers to risk provoking Orb, and the Earth Forces are already at too great of a technological and personnel performance disadvantage to risk Orb allying with ZAFT, despite the Union's policies. But if Panama falls, the Earth Forces might become desperate enough for Blue Cosmos to convince them to attack Orb."

"That's what the M1s are for," said Kisaka, sighing. "Regardless of their plans, though, this 'Operation Spitbreak' will work to your advantage. Most of the ZAFT forces in the area are at Carpentaria at the moment, leaving your path to Alaska relatively clear."

"What about the team that was pursing us?" asked Murrue.

"We haven't detected any ZAFT ships in the area," said Kisaka. "They've likely either given up or have been called back. There was a lot of talking on the diplomatic side."

"Still, can't hurt to be prepared for them when we leave," said Victor. "Le Creuset is a snake if I ever saw one. He's sly, and as unpredictable as the wind. If he could find someway to do it, he'd keep his team in pursuit. Fortunately, they probably think we've reached JOSH-A by now, but it never hurts to be prepared."

* * *

Taiyonoha Manor

A few hours later

"I guess this is goodbye for now," said Lacus, smiling at Kira as she prepared to leave for Malchio's. Serenity was a friend Malchio, so the Orb noble was planning to provide transportation to his orphanage herself. Standing a few feet behind Kira, Makoto smiled at the still unofficial couple.

"Yeah," said Kira, smiling in return. "But it won't be for forever. We'll…" Kira was cutoff by an uncharacteristic giggle from Makoto.

"Don't try to be a romantic Kira, it doesn't suit you," said Makoto. "Now kiss her already so that I can get my own goodbye in!" The two teens blushed at Makoto's words and glared at the redhead, who smirked back at them. They definitely had feelings for each other, but Makoto knew very well that they were still far too uncertain of those feelings to seriously act on them, and she hadn't been willing to risk the potential price of forcing them on additional dates, though the one they'd been on had gone remarkably well.

"I'm serious," said Makoto, her entire demeanor suddenly agreeing with the words. "I want my own chance to say goodbye to Lacus, and we'll be leaving soon ourselves. It's time to move our machines back to the _Archangel_."

"Alright," said Kira, stepping away from Lacus.

* * *

The _Costeau_

Two days later

Athrun sat alone atop the deck of the _Costeau_, which had resurfaced for a time in order to resupply. The submarine had been sitting, waiting, for the better part of a month now, and it was starting to get to the crew and the pilots. Much as he didn't want to face Kira again, Athrun couldn't help but hope that the legged ship would emerge soon.

Fortunately, Zane and Yzak, his primary concerns among the crew, were both under control. Zane had decided to occupy himself with practice and minor tune-ups to his machine. Thanks to the supplies that had arrived while the rest of the team was in Orb, he'd been able to upgrade his thermal cannon. While still not in the class of the G-weapons beam rifles, the cannon now packed quite a bit more punch. Where before it would only damage the Raven's head, now a single shot would take out the head altogether.

Yzak, however, he didn't understand, but the scarred Coordinator had shown a level of self-control that was nothing short of remarkable, given his behavior since Heliopolis.

"Athrun? You mind if I join you?" came Nicol's voice. Athrun looked back over his shoulder at his friend, the youngest member of his team, and smiled.

"Of course not," he said. "You know, you really didn't have to ask," he continued as Nicol sat down.

"Well, given why I'm here, I thought I should," said Nicol. Athrun glanced at him curiously.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Well, first, I just want to reassure you that Yzak and Dearka haven't put it together," said Nicol. "But Saul and I have thought about it a bit, and… your friend in Orb, Kira. He's the pilot of the Strike, isn't he?"

Athrun sucked in a shocked breath. His friends… knew?

"We didn't put it together at first," said Nicol. "But when we thought about it, the clues were obvious. Makoto's song, your behavior, Erik's, and, well… everything, really. Yzak and Dearka probably won't realize it, since they still seem to be in denial about the Earth Forces pilots being Coordinators. That's what really gave it away, actually. If the Raven pilot hadn't told Saul that they were Coordinators, I don't think we would've figured it out."

"Yes," admitted Athrun. "Kira's the pilot of the Strike. I'm not sure about the others, but I'd guess that Makoto and Chris are two of the other pilots."

"Makoto is the pilot of the Dauntless," said Nicol. "I realized that's why her voice was so familiar. She'd contacted me during that battle outside Orb, commenting on how predictable I was. And Saul realized that Chris's voice is that of the Raven. Guess that just leaves the Guardian pilot as an unknown."

"What will you do?" asked Athrun.

"Do? What do you mean?" asked Nicol. "I'm sure Commander Le Creuset already knew about this. Not much gets by him, and I don't doubt that you would've told the commander the truth, but he still assigned you as the commander for this mission. Saul and I agreed that we wouldn't do anything. But… it'll be harder now."

"We know our enemies," said Athrun. "We can put a name and face to our foes now. It's not comfortable, is it? It makes the fact that you're killing much more real."

"I know," said Nicol. "I hate it." Athrun sighed.

"Just leave Kira to me," he said. "Leave Chris to Zane—the two used to be friends, as far as I can tell—and leave Makoto to Erik. He killed her parents right in front of her, back on Heliopolis."

"What?" gasped Nicol.

"I asked him about it once we got back," said Athrun. "I'm not sure what Erik's up too, but he doesn't want anyone getting between him and Makoto."

"Alright then," said Nicol quietly. "You want to tell Saul, or should I?"

"You tell Saul," said Athrun, sighing. "I'll let Erik know."

* * *

Athha Manor

Two days later

Cagalli had just finished packing the last of her stuff when the door to her bedroom opened.

"Cagalli," said her father as he entered. "Do you intend to go along with that ship?"

"I do," answered Cagalli, turning to look at her father.

"I see," said Uzumi. "So, you are going to fight the PLANTs as an Earth Alliance soldier. Are you really that eager to go to war?"

"No! Of course not!" said Cagalli. "It's not like I want to fight!"

"Very well then," said Uzumi. "Why?"

"I want to help them out!" said Cagalli. "And I want to do whatever I can to end this damn war!"

"You think fighting will end this war?" asked Uzumi, eyes narrowing.

"No, but—"

"If you were to kill someone's husband in battle, then his wife will despise you for that," said Uzumi. "And if you kill someone's son, their mother will hate you as well. Because if someone were to take your life, I would hate them with all my heart. Don't you see how war can be a vicious circle?

"I know all that!" said Cagalli. "But I can't stay in this country and do nothing!"

"That kind of cheap and arrogant heroism will accomplish nothing!" said Uzumi, placing his hands on her shoulder. "Carrying a gun is not the only way to fight a war. You must lean the causes of war, Cagalli. Attacking each other won't solve anything."

* * *

Taiyonoha Manor

"Guess this is goodbye again," said Makoto sadly as she prepared to head to the _Archangel_. The ship would be departing in little more than an hour.

"Take care of yourself," said Shizuka. "I wouldn't want something to happen to my favorite niece."

"Yeah right," said Makoto playfully. "I'm your only niece." Makoto raised an eyebrow at the trio of winces on her relatives' faces. "Something I said?"

"Don't worry about it," said Serenity, pulling the miniature red-haired version of herself into a soft hug. "Just stay safe, please? I lost Naomi, I lost Ami… I don't want to lose you too."

"Don't worry," said Makoto, returning the hug. "I promise you, I _will_ live through this." There was such conviction in Makoto's voice that the others couldn't help but believe her.

"Don't forget you're training," said Misuumi, placing a fond hand on Makoto's head. "And most importantly, don't forget the teachings of Shinsei Tsurugi. Have faith in yourself and your friends."

"I will," said Makoto. "I promise."

* * *

Hidden Morgenroete Dock

An hour later

Kira, Chris, Makoto, Victor, Mu, Elizabeth and Tolle were all waiting around the hanger for the _Archangel _to launch. Tolle had just recently been given approval to pilot the second Skygrasper by the Captain and Lieutenant Badgiruel. As the ship's copilot, he had the most experience flying of the bridge crew, discounting Ensign Neumann, of course, and had spent much of his spare time in Orb practicing.

"_Ensign Yamato, please report to the upper deck,_" came Mir's voice on the intercom.

"Huh?" said Kira. "Why do they want me to go to the upper deck?"

Chris shrugged. "Who knows," he said. "Maybe Cagalli wants to say goodbye to you."

"Whatever the reason, you should go see what they want," said Makoto.

A few minutes later, Kira climbed the ladder to the upper deck.

"Kira!" shouted Cagalli, running to the _Archangel_.

"Cagalli? What are you doing here?"

"You're parents are here! They're right up there!" Cagalli shouted back, pointing at the windows overlooking the hangar.

Kira looked up at the windows. Just as she said, his parents were there. His father was waving while his mother was saying something, but Kira couldn't hear it or read her lips from where he was. His mother seemed to be struggling with this, and leaned into his father, who smiled at him and gave a small nod of approval and understanding.

A few minutes later, an out of breath Cagalli climbed up the ladder to the upper deck.

"Why… why won't you see them?" she asked. "Say something Kira." Kira was quiet for a moment.

"Look," he said at last. "Could you tell them sorry, but not now? For me? I don't think… right now is…" Kira struggled to keep tears from his eyes.

"Okay," said Cagalli softly. Kira turned and began to walk away.

"Take care of yourself, Cagalli, okay?" he said, pausing to look back at her with a sad smile. "And thanks for everything."

"Kira!" said Cagalli, sounding more emotional than he'd ever heard her. He spun around, only to have her grab him in a hug, shocking him.

Neither of them noticed the surprised and concerned expressions of those watching from the windows.

"Listen… don't get killed," said Cagalli. Kira smiled.

"Don't you worry," he said. "Nothing's gonna happen to me."

A few minutes later, the dock door opened and the _Archangel_ left, heading for their waiting escorts. The Orb fleet surrounded the _Archangel_ and left Onogoro. Once they reached the edge of Orb waters, the fleet stopped while the _Archangel_ continued on, taking off into the air.

* * *

Elsewhere

"How long are you planning to keep the truth hidden from them?" asked Shizuka, still staring after the _Archangel_ after Kisaka and Erica had left.

"I don't…" murmured Caridad.

"Do you think I want to tell her the truth?" asked Serenity. "But if we hide the sins of our past, of their origins, then it will only cause greater hardship."

"I know," said Caridad. "But…"

"I understand you're reluctance, all of you," said Samuel. "We all wish that we could just bury Divinity and put it all to rest. But it's not that simple. David, Ulen, Sera… they meddled in the realm of god and we let them. And now, those children are paying the price for our sins."

Serenity laughed bitterly. "We _let_ them?" she said. "No, it isn't that simple. We _encouraged_ them. My sister, my brother-in-law, both of my nieces, both of Caridad's sons and countless others have paid the price for that, and now those children also pay the price, while we walk free, absolved of guilt."

"Is that why you won't tell her the truth?" asked Misuumi quietly. "Do you want her to hate you?"

"No," said Serenity. "I want her to see me for the monster that I really am. In the end, I'm no different then my father."

* * *

_Archangel_ Hangar

A short while later

"How come you kids are all dressed up?" asked Murdoch, eyeing the four mobile suit pilots from his position by the Strike as they began to climb into their machines (though Makoto wasn't wearing the pilot suit the others were). "We haven't received any orders yet." Though, he supposed Makoto might've given the order for some obscure reason.

"As soon as we cross the border, ZAFT will attack us," said Kira, surprising Murdoch as he climbed into his machine.

* * *

Aboard the _Cousteau_

Outside Orb Waters

Athrun and his teammates waited patiently (for the most part) inside their mobile suits. They'd detected an Orb fleet leaving Onogoro, and while the ships were too close together for them to determine if the legged ship was with them or not, Athrun knew in his gut that it was, and surprisingly, Zane had backed him up.

They were also confident that they'd be victorious in their next encounter. Besides the six G-weapons, they had a heavily upgraded CGUE, and all seven of their machines were piloted by ZAFT elites. If Orb hadn't been there, there was little doubt they'd have sunk the legged ship by now.

That said, it wouldn't be easy. Their enemies were Coordinators, gifted ones, and had retained the most powerful of the G-weapons. Not only that, but they'd been improving by leaps and bounds, and it was almost impossible to tell whether the Dauntless pilot or the Strike pilot was the more formidable. On the other hand, while those two came out about equal in everyone's eyes, the Guardian and Raven were easier to assess. The Guardian was clearly the more powerful, while the Raven had the better and more experienced pilot.

"_A ship is separating from the fleet,_" came the voice of the sensor operator over the PA. "_Identifying… it's the legged ship!_"

Yzak gasped in surprise while Dearka whistled.

"Looks like waiting around here was worth it after all," said Erik.

"We're taking off," said Athrun. "That ship goes down today."

The Aegis, the Resolute, and the CGUE launched, each followed by a Guul. Then the Surge, the Blitz, and the Duel launched with their Guuls, followed by the Buster. The seven headed for the legged ship.

* * *

A power cable plug emerged from the floor of the _Archangel_'s starboard catapult, and Kira reached down, grabbing it and plugging it into the Agni cannon.

"Connecting power conduits," said Kira. "Auxiliary power online. Standing by and ready."

Meanwhile, the _Archangel_'s multipurpose launch tubes fired smoke bombs, and smoke dischargers on the bridge tower also released smoke, enshrouding the entire warship in a massive smokescreen.

When the officers—all of them, including the ensigns—were discussing the possibility of a ZAFT attack outside Orb waters (though the Gundam pilots had known the attack was a fact rather than a possibility), they'd devised a strategy to deal with all seven enemy mobile suits. It was risky, but it had potential.

Kira and the Strike were the centerpiece of the whole plan.

In the second Skygrasper, equipped with the Sword Striker, Tolle gulped nervously.

"_Don't be nervous,_" said Mu reassuringly as he prepared to launch, his own fighter equipped with the Aile Striker. "_All you need to do is spot for the Strike from overhead._"

"Y-yes sir," said Tolle.

"_Don't get shot down,_" said Mu. "_Let's go!_" With that, the Hawk of Endymion launched.

"_Your course is clear,_" said Mir. "_Skygrasper Koenig, takeoff. Be careful._"

Tolle smiled slightly as he braced himself for launch and tookoff.

"Smokescreen," muttered Dearka.

"Heh, they're getting cute with us," said Yzak. At that moment, a pair of fighters emerged from the smoke. "Two of them?" Yzak took aim and fired his beam rifles, but the two fighters dodged.

"Alright, not bad," said Mu. "I'll leave you in charge of backing up the Strike."

"_Right,_" said Tolle. "_Skygrasper Koenig here. Strike, do you copy? I'm sending you the enemy's coordinates and the targeting data._"

_Tolle…_ thought Kira before activating his targeting computer.

"Roger that."

Kira aimed the Agni using the coordinates provided and pulled the trigger, the powerful hyper impulse beam splitting smoke and air as it tore through the sky, narrowly missing the formation of ZAFT pilots, all of whom gasped in surprise.

"Everyone scatter!" ordered Athrun, determined not to let them be easy targets as hyper impulse beams continued to tear through the air, uncomfortably close to the ZAFT mobile suits.

Then, Kira tore the cable free, activated the Strike's Phase Shift Armor, and took to the air.

"It's time," said Makoto.

The Strike emerged from the smoke, but as the ZAFT machines all took aim, a trio of sniper rounds flew free of the smoke, knocking the Blitz completely out of alignment, and another mobile suit, accompanied by a pair of mobile armors, materialized from the smoke.

The Guardian released its entire arsenal on the Surge, Saul only barely dodging the barrage of grenades and beams, while the Raven's machineguns opened up on the CGUE, and the Dauntless fired its machine cannons and sword rifle on the Resolute, preventing the three machines from giving the Strike any attention as the Aile Skygrasper fired its beam rifle on the Aegis.

The Strike dodged the fire from the Duel and Buster, flipping over and firing a quick shot from the Agni straight into the Buster's Guul. The entire platform shook under the hit, and before Dearka could react, the Strike kicked the Buster off of the platform altogether.

The Duel turned to face the Strike, charging in with its Igelstellungs blazing. Kira returned fire with his anti-ship vulcan cannon, destroying the Guul's missile launcher, and in turn critically damaging one of its main thrusters. Yzak struggled to keep his machine in the air, but the heavily armored Duel was simply too heavy.

"Only two minutes in and we've already lost Dearka and Yzak? Damn it, they're worthless!" said Zane as he continued to trade fire with Chris.

"Just hold on Yzak!" said Athrun, managing to break free from the relatively unmaneuverable Aile Skygrasper and, with Nicol, chase after the Strike.

"Take this!" shouted Nicol as the two aimed their beam rifles and began firing. Kira deftly evaded the beams as the Strike continued its descent towards the smoke. Suddenly, the _Archangel_ began to emerge from the mist, and the massive Gottfrieds lit the sky as they drove the Aegis and Blitz away. The Strike landed on the deck, looking like some kind of majestic guardian as the _Archangel_ opened up with a barrage of missiles. Athrun and Nicol gunned the missiles down with beam rifles and Igelstellungs.

Elsewhere, the Raven flew head on at the CGUE, but Chris didn't fire.

"You want to play chicken, Chris?" said Zane. "Well too bad!" With that, the ZAFT ace began firing his Guul's missiles at the Raven.

The missiles hit, but Chris continued his reckless charge forward, the Phase Shift Armor holding perfectly.

"Take this!" shouted Zane, squeezing the thermal cannon's trigger.

But the cannon didn't fire. A warning light came on, and Zane glanced at the console.

_Primary weapon inoperable._

"What the hell?! How can it be inoperable?!" shouted Zane.

The ace looked up. The Raven was almost on top of him now. Zane swore as he pulled the Guul up in an attempt to avoid the Raven. Unfortunately, it was too late. The Raven suddenly spun on its back, the Ahura Mazda plasma beams activated. The claw-like beams sliced through the Guul.

"Damn," muttered Chris, surprised that his stunt had worked. "That was either stupid, lucky, or just plain crazy." Chris watched as the red CGUE and the remains of the Guul became victims of gravity. "Probably all three."

"A part of me wonders if I should be complaining about not having anything to do," said Victor to himself, eyeing the battle contemplatively. Since their goal was to breakthrough the enemy force altogether, almost all of their forces had been set on the offense, so he'd decided to sit back and play defense, taking the occasional target of opportunity. "Ah, who am I kidding?" Victor was perfectly content in his current position, taking aim with his rifle and firing a single, well-placed shot to provide aid to a certain redheaded lieutenant.

Makoto was quite literally flying circles around the Resolute, thoroughly enjoying herself as she evaded and blocked the fire from Erik's guns, never returning fire, and using her superior aerial combat abilities to consistently make hit-and-run melee strikes from all directions.

Then, a single sniper round flew into the underbelly of the Resolute's primary weapon, and Makoto could practically hear as Erik swore and ejected the weapon before it exploded.

"Thanks Victor," she said before punching the Dauntless up to maximum speed, grabbing the Exia, the Phase Shift blade flashing to life with the eyes of the Dauntless.

Mere seconds later, it was over, as the Resolute fell into the sea amidst the debris of its dissected Guul and torn off armor.

Momentarily free from the assaults of the _Archangel_ and Aile Skygrasper, Athrun and Nicol were surprised to see the Strike eject the Launcher Striker… and then leap into the air as the Aile Striker equipment detached from the Skygrasper and connected with the Strike.

"He changed his equipment in midair," gasped Nicol. The Strike then activated the powerful verniers of the Aile Striker, gunning for the two.

"Damn it," muttered Saul, wondering just who the pilot of the Guardian was as he deflected one of the wing beam blades away with his sword. He'd already lost one sword keeping those deadly wings away from him, and his Hakenfaust had been a sacrifice to keep him from being blown through the air by a pack of grenades.

This was getting ridiculous though. The Guardian was truly unique among the G-weapons. Where the Aegis was equally formidable in both forms in space, its mobile armor form was critically lacking in an atmosphere. And while the Raven's mobile armor mode didn't lose any combat ability in an atmosphere, it was also almost radically inferior to the mobile suit mode.

The Guardian, though, was not only equally formidable in both forms, but it lost hardly any of its performance in an atmosphere, despite being a space model. The only other mobile suits like that were the Dauntless and, to a lesser extent, the Strike.

Suddenly, as the Guardian swooped in on the Surge from above, the Raven appeared beneath it, its altitude parallel to the Surge, and the Guardian transformed to mobile suit mode, landing atop the Raven.

Saul didn't have time to react as the Guardian's shield swung through the air, knocking his right arm aside, and a quickly drawn beam saber severed the Surge's left arm at the elbow, sending its rifle flying free.

Below, the Raven fired its machineguns into the Guul point blank.

The Guardian leapt off the Raven, pushing the midnight blue mobile suit down while the dark purple Gundam transformed back into a mobile armor, the siblings rocketing away as the Surge fell into the ocean behind them.

Nicol launched his Gleipnir at the Strike, but Kira's swiftly drawn beam saber cut the rocket-propelled claw in half. Nicol activated the Trikeros beam saber and the two began dueling while Mu swooped in on the Aegis.

Tolle, tired of sitting around watching, swooped down himself as the Strike and Blitz broke apart, firing missiles on the Blitz as Nicol took aim with the Trikeros rifle.

"Bastard!" said Nicol, instinctively taking aim at the passing fighter.

"Tolle, no!" said Kira, flying forward. His attack was hidden by Tolle's fighter, and when the fighter was no longer between them, Nicol saw the Strike bearing down on him, its beam saber flashing through the air and severing the Blitz's right arm at the shoulder. Kira then kicked the Blitz off the Guul and landed on the flight platform himself.

"Damn," muttered Athrun, realizing the severity of his situation. He was alone again, facing no less than six formidable opponents, plus an extra fighter and the legged ship itself.

But to his surprise, aside from the Strike, all of them suddenly backed off.

"_What do you mean stay out of this?_" asked Mu as he began to circle over the _Archangel_ with Chris, Liz, and Tolle.

"This is something Kira has to do," said Makoto simply. "Please, trust me."

Of course, their friends knew what that was about.

The Strike and Aegis fired on each other, absorbing shots with their shields or narrowly dodging them as they circled one another on their Guuls. The Aegis tried to close in, but the Strike fired a single shot, piercing the heart of the Guul. Athrun leapt off his Guul, as did Kira, the two platforms crashing into one another.

Transforming the Aegis to mobile armor form, Athrun fired several rounds from the Scylla, but Kira dodged each as he descended back to the _Archangel_. As he landed, the warship fired its Gottfried at the red Gundam, grazing it just enough to drain power from the Phase Shift Armor without causing any real damage. The Aegis transformed back to mobile suit mode as it descended on a small rocky island.

"_Kira, I'm sending the sword over to you,_" said Tolle as he flew over the _Archangel_ towards the Strike.

Athrun landed on the island, and the legged ship began pummeling the Aegis with its Igelstellungs. Athrun raised his shield for added defense, but a glance at his power monitor showed that, between the intensity of the battle and the glancing blow from the Gottfried, and with this barrage on top of it, he was nearly out of power.

An alarm went off and Athrun was shocked to see the Strike, Sword Striker equipped, descending on the Aegis. Athrun tried to raise his rifle in defense, but it was too late, and the sword cleaved his gun in two as he leapt back.

The Igelstellung barrage ended.

"Retreat already," said Kira. "This battle's over.

"_Shut up!_" said Athrun, activated the beam saber in the Aegis's right arm, charging in and swinging it at the Strike.

"Athrun, stop!" said Kira as he leapt over the swing and swung his own sword down, the Aegis barely deflecting with its shield, but being pushed back regardless. "I don't want to fight you anymore!"

"_It's too late!_" said Athrun, pressing his attack, only for Kira to parry this latest slash. "_Remember what I told you in Orb?! This won't end until one or both of our machines is destroyed!_"

Athrun threw off his shield and activated the left arm beam saber, stabbing it forward. However, the shift reduced the force of Athrun's earlier attack, and Kira was able to safely back away and snap the Strike's right arm up, the wrists of the two Gundams connecting as the blade was forced upwards. Kira pushed the saber away altogether, and lashed out, punching the Aegis's face before Athrun could react.

The Aegis went flying back from the force of the blow, falling to its back, the red PS armor fading to grey and the beam sabers deactivating as the last of its combat power failed.

"Athrun!" said Kira, raising the Strike's sword overhead.

"_Athrun, get out of there!_" came another voice suddenly, drawing everyone's attention to the right of the Strike. Materializing not a hundred meters away was the Blitz, charging at the Strike, holding a Lancer Dart salvaged from the Trikeros in its left hand, stabbing the penetrator forward.

It was too close… there wasn't any time to think, to consider, to control. Only time to react.

The Schwert Gewehr descended towards the cockpit of the Blitz.

* * *

"NO!" cried Makoto in horror, instinctively reaching out towards Kira.

* * *

_Flashback_

_Taiyonoha Manor_

_Four days ago_

"_What could be so important that you'd send your boyfriend away?" asked Makoto teasingly after Kira had left. Lacus blushed lightly, but shook it away quickly._

"_I want you to promise me something Makoto," said Lacus seriously. Makoto frowned. "Promise me that you'll take care of him. That you'll protect him. That… that you'll make sure he doesn't do something he'll regret later."_

_Makoto looked into Lacus's eyes. Piercing green orbs of emerald met strong-willed sky blue orbs of diamond, and Makoto nodded._

"_Okay," she said. "I promise."_

* * *

Makoto couldn't break that promise!

She wouldn't.

For a split second, Makoto's eyes changed, and countless colors flashed across them before they returned to normal.

In that instant, an amethyst jewel seed raced through Kira's mind and shattered behind his eyes, dilating his pupils for a split second before his eyes, too, returned to normal.

In that instant, just before the Schwert Gewehr crashed through the cockpit of the Blitz, the sword shifted down.

And pierced deep into the torso of the black mobile suit. Kira let go of the sword, leaving it embedded in the Blitz as he backed away in horror.

"_Athrun… run…_" said Nicol, electricity running wild through his cockpit and burning his body with its heat, even through his pilot suit. Then, the Blitz exploded.

"NICOL!" screamed Athrun.

At the same moment, all the other members of the Zala Team emerged from the waters around the island, most leaping out as the Resolute dragged the battered form of the Surge ashore.

They all instantly froze at the sight before them.

All of them, even Zane, were stunned. The Blitz was gone. _Nicol_ was gone. The kind-hearted, song writing, piano playing boy that never should have been in the war in the first place, was dead. Pieces of the Blitz littered the area, the largest being the barely held together pieces of the battered and smoking torso and its scarred-looking head.

"Nicol…" whispered Dearka.

Yzak was at a loss for words. "No way… impossible… he… can't be…"

"Nicol!" shouted Saul desperately, his eyes watering. Yzak grit his teeth in rage and grabbed a beam saber, preparing to charge and attack the Strike for all he was worth, but the legged ship's CIWS opened fire on them, their mobile suits all descending at once.

"Damn it!" cursed Saul. "Guys, we have to retreat!"

"_What?!_" shouted Yzak. "_But they—_"

"I KNOW!" shouted Saul angrily, startling Yzak. "But we have no other choice! Athrun's out of power and we've lost the advantage! We have to escape while we can!"

"_I agree,_" added Zane softly. "_We'll only join him if we stay. He wouldn't want that._"

"_They're right Yzak,_" said Erik, handing Saul over to Zane, who was nearest them. He then opened up with a barrage of all his remaining weapons as Zane pulled the Surge to safety and Yzak and Dearka did the same for the Aegis. His task done, Erik retreated himself.

Meanwhile, the _Archangel_'s mobile suits landed around the still motionless Strike.

"Wow…" said Chris, breathing a sigh of relief. "I didn't think we'd ever be able to take even one of those guys down. Good job Kira."

"_Shut up,_" said Kira.

"What?"

"_Don't you get it?!"_ shouted Kira. "_I just killed someone! That was Nicol in that mobile suit!_"

Chris had been prepared to try and convince Kira that it was okay, that it had simply been self-defense, but hearing that it was Nicol that Kira just killed stopped him dead. Of all the ZAFT pilots they'd met that day, Nicol was easily the most likeable, the one with whom they could all be comfortable. Chris had even been more ready to kill Zane than to hurt Nicol.

"No," said Makoto suddenly, the Dauntless standing over the remains of the Blitz. She'd felt it. That burst of light. And when it had happened, she'd been able to perceive so much more. "Kira… you missed."

Suddenly, the ruined cockpit hatch was knocked free, releasing more smoke. A figure crawled out of the smoking hatch in a red ZAFT pilot suit, the suit itself looking barely better off than the Blitz. The helmet was cracked, and the figure suddenly vomited blood onto the ruined torso of his machine before collapsing.

"_Archangel_, the Blitz's pilot is still alive!" said Makoto forcefully over her intercom. "We're gonna need a medic down here. ASAP!"

* * *

**Author's Notes: Well, that was fun. Like Akatsuki Leader13, I originally planned to kill Nicol, only to later change my mind. Keeping Nicol alive, though, has nothing to do with his survival in other fics, or even in the original _Gundam SEED: A Retelling_. Sufficed to say, there is a price for this, but I won't give you any clues as to just what that price is.**

**Also, we get an interesting look at Serenity, who it seems is involved in something called "Divinity", which it seems also involved Chris's parents, the Yamatos, the Hibikis, and someone named "Sera". I can't believe I gave out such a blatant spoiler, but I did.**

**As if that weren't enough, we also see another mysterious display on Makoto's part, as it seems she subconsciously activated Kira's SEED for an instant in order to save Nicol. Now what could that be, I wonder?**

**Alright, enough of that. Please leave a review and PM if you have a guess as to the mobile suit names that crop up in the early stages of these chapters (if you do catch it, then I wish you luck winning the lotto, cause you'll probably have just wasted the winning luck getting that guess right). The two names crop up, as normal, everyday words, in such a passing manner that I wouldn't be surprised if only two people catch it, and only because I've previously informed them of at least one of the names.**

**Okay, now I'm boring you, I know. See you next week (I hope)! Ja ne!  
**


	19. Phase 18: Gundam Downfall

**Wow! It's been awhile since I've pumped out updates like this, but I'm really glad I did. And I'm positively giddy with excitement! This chapter is one I've been waiting for since the story began! I positively adore it, and I hope everyone else will too!**

**Oh, by the way, no one ever came anywhere even close to seeing the clues in the last chapter, which honestly doesn't surprise me. I did insert them as a single word in a full-blown sentence, with no real attention paid to the words.**

**Also, my camping trip... it was nice seeing some of my friends there, but it was mostly just a nightmare. Oh well, doesn't matter now. It's time to stop boring you with details, and simply get on to city-sized bombshell I'm dropping on my readers with this chapter. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply, please see previous chapters. Only an idiot would need a full disclaimer every chapter to get the point.  
**

* * *

Phase Eighteen: Gundam Downfall

April 15th, C.E. 71

* * *

_Costeau_ Pilot's Locker Room

"Damn it!" shouted Yzak, punching a locker. Nicol's locker. "Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! DAMN IT!"

The locker door opened and music sheets poured at as Yzak finally stopped punching it.

"Yzak…" said Dearka quietly, trying to calm his friend down.

"Why did he have to die like that?!" shouted Yzak, turning to Athrun and glaring at him. "And why out here?!"

Athrun spun to face Yzak, grabbing his collar and slamming the silver-haired pilot against the locker.

"Why don't you say it, Yzak?!" he shouted. "It's my fault that Nicol's dead!"

_WHAM!_

"That's enough!" shouted Saul, his fist pressed against a locker.

Athrun, Yzak and Dearka were all stunned by their normally laidback teammate. Since they had first met him at the Academy, they had never seen him ever get really angry. Yet now, he was as angry as Yzak could get. It was actually a little scary.

"Is this what Nicol would have wanted?!" he shouted. "Wasting our time beating the crap out of each other?! Look at yourselves! What the hell will this accomplish?! We should be saving our energy for destroying that damned legged ship and that thrice damned Strike!"

Saul then stormed out of the room, leaving most of his comrades in a stunned state. A moment later, Zane, who like Erik had remained quiet since their return, finished putting his uniform on and headed for the door, stopping just before walking through.

"He's right," said Zane, voice almost unnaturally soft. "Wasting our time fighting each other is pointless. But, if it wasn't for you hesitance _Commander_ Zala, we would have crushed them long before this happened. You may want to remember that before the next sortie." Zane then left the room.

"First, that bastard killed Miguel, then he gave me this scar, now he's killed Nicol! Next time we meet, I'm going to destroy the Strike!" said Yzak before he and Dearka left as well, leaving Athrun and Erik alone in the room.

Athrun turned to the open locker. Pages of music littered the ground while Nicol's uniform hung in the locker. He grabbed the uniform and embraced it. Memories of Nicol filled his mind.

"I should have died… not you…" said Athrun, his eyes watered. "Nicol… it's all because I was too weak to defeat Kira in the past… it was my weakness that kill you…"

Athrun slumped down on the ground next to Nicol's music sheets. His expression of sorrow turned to anger.

"I'll kill him…" he swore quietly. "The next time we meet…"

After a few moments, Athrun left as well, leaving Erik alone to quietly stare through the window into the hangar.

"So…" he said quietly, reflecting on how even Saul had forgotten that they had people they could consider friends on that ship. "This is what anger, hatred, sorrow, vengeance, and loss will do to a person, huh?" His head tilted back, looking at the ceiling. "And just think, what I did was worse than take a good friend away. I took away your parents. And it wasn't just knowing they were in a machine as it exploded—no, you saw the bullets enter their bodies, the blood spill out onto your machine. You held your mother in your arms…"

Erik hung his head slightly, eyes closed, a loathing smirk on his lips.

"Heh, I admire you," he said. "I really do. How, Makoto? How is it that you were able to let go of your vengeance if this is what it feels like?" A stray thought crossed Erik's mind and he looked over his shoulders at Nicol's music sheets.

"_I won't kill you. Not like this. Not for these reasons. My parents… my teacher… my aunt… they'd all be ashamed of me for wanting revenge. I love them too much to disappoint them. I've already won. That's enough, for now."_

"That's it, isn't it?" said Erik, looking out the window again to where the Blitz had once been docked. "It's something that can't be taught or learned, but something you must discover for yourself, right? It's knowing that vengeance isn't what they'd want for you? Nicol, you wouldn't want this for us either, would you?"

Erik's once dull eyes, shining with life that could be considered unnatural within the brown orbs, focused on his own machine. GAT-X104 Resolute. It seemed fitting for him, now.

"Then… I won't fight for vengeance," said Erik. "But my mission hasn't changed. I won't kill any of our friends if I don't have too. But…" He raised his hand, forming it into a gun shape, index finger slightly bent, pointing it at the Resolute. "I will destroy all of them. The legged ship _and _its mobile suits." He tilted his hand back, as though from the recoil of a gunshot.

* * *

_Costeau_ Crew Quarters

Saul entered his quarters and closed the door. He glanced at the small desk in the room. Atop it was a photo. It was from when they all graduated from the Academy together. Athrun, Dearka, Rusty, Miguel, Nicol, Yzak and himself were all grinning, clad in their uniforms, Erik standing at the edge with a small smile. He grabbed the picture and then slumped down on the floor beside his bed, tears falling down his face, landing on the picture. First Rusty had been killed, then Miguel and now Nicol. All because of that damned Strike.

None of them had deserved to die. Rusty had just wanted to do his part to protect the PLANTs. Miguel needed the money to help his little brother. And Nicol…

Nicol never should have been in this war in the first place. He should have been in the PLANTs, performing concerts, not fighting in battles. But he had wanted to protect the PLANTs, like everyone else was doing. And now he was dead.

Killed by the Strike.

But now… none of them were going to stop until the Strike was destroyed and Nicol was avenged. Even if they did know the pilot personally.

* * *

_Costeau_ Hangar

Zane allowed himself a bitter smile as he entered the hanger. The death of that weakling Amalfi would drive the rest of them to do what should have been done weeks ago. Especially that pathetic fool Athrun. He knew of his friendship with the Strike's pilot, just as he knew that it was source of Athrun's hesitance in dealing with the legged ship and its mobile suits. But now, they were all determined to destroy the legged ship and its mobile suits. The next battle would finish them all off.

Still, even Zane wished it hadn't come at this cost. Nicol may have been a weakling, but that small part of the Zane from before Junius Seven that still survived wished it hadn't happened.

"Why did my cannon malfunction like that?" asked Zane as the crews worked on the mobile suits.

"A connection error, sir," said one of the mechanics. "When you fired, the connection between some of the new and old components jammed, shorting the entire system. Just a freak accident. A one in a million freak accident, but a freak accident nevertheless."

Images from when Miss Clyne was returned filled his mind. Firing at the Raven, but most of his shots going wide, missing their target, regardless of what he did. Then the battle in Earth's atmosphere. With that shuttle out of the way, he'd have had the Raven, with no way for the machine to avoid the round, only for the Aegis to grab him and pull him away, ruining both shots. And now, this latest annoyance.

"I want my cannon and _all_ of its systems thoroughly checked over," said Zane. "I want it at a hundred percent before the next sortie."

"Yes sir," said the mechanic.

"This is the third time he's escaped because of his luck," an annoyed Zane said to himself. "But he won't escape a fourth time because of that luck. I swear it."

* * *

_Archangel_ Infirmary

A few hours later

_The Strike standing over the powerless Aegis…_

_It's sword raising…_

_Athrun…_

_Running… Strike turning…_

_Sword swinging… Cutting…_

"_Athrun… Run…"_

_Flash… Fire… Pain…_

_Darkness…_

_Pain… Smoke…_

_Must escape…_

_Sunlight… More pain… Blood…_

_Darkness…_

Nicol groaned. His eyes slowly opened. He was lying on a bed, bandages covering his wounds. How had he gotten here? He tried to remember what happened. They were fighting the legged ship and it's mobile suits. The Strike had sliced off the Blitz's right arm. Then…

"Athrun!" he said as he remembered.

The Aegis ran out of power and the Strike was about to destroy it. He had rushed to his rescue and the Strike had hit the Blitz with its sword and the Blitz had exploded. They must have rescued him and taken him back to the sub.

"Ah. I see you're awake," said a voice.

Suddenly, a doctor clad in an Earth Forces uniform appeared over him. The realization hit him like a ton of bricks. He hadn't noticed until now that his right arm had been handcuffed to the guardrail of the bed and that the room he was in wasn't the infirmary of the _Costeau_. It was the legged ship's! Athrun and the others hadn't rescued him, the legged ship had!

But then… what happened to Athrun and the others? Were they alive? Or had they… no. They couldn't have been shot down. They were all Red Coats. ZAFT aces. They would have made it. Just like he did.

But he was now a prisoner of war. He had heard stories of what anti-Coordinator Naturals did to captured ZAFT soldiers. There were stories of captured soldiers being tortured to death by cruel interrogators regardless of whether or not they actually knew anything of value. Prisoners being beaten for even the slightest provocation, real or imagined. There were even stories of young captured pilots like him just disappearing, like they had never existed in the first place.

Nicol was terrified about what was going to happen to him. Would he ever see his parents and friends again? Or would he disappear as well? Nicol's heart was racing. He heard the increasing beeps of the heart rate monitor he was hooked up to.

"Whoa. Easy now," said the doctor, trying to calm him down. "Calm down. No one is going to hurt you. You're body is still in rough shape. If you don't calm down, you're going to go into shock."

Nicol took deep breaths, trying to calm himself down and slow his heart rate. After a few minutes of breathing, he had managed to calm himself down.

"Good," said the doctor. "How are you feeling? Are you in any pain?"

"No," replied Nicol. "Just a little stiff and sore."

"Good. I don't have much experience treating Coordinators," said the doctor. "I wasn't sure how much painkiller to give you."

"Where… Where am I?" asked Nicol, though he already knew the answer.

"You're aboard the _Archangel_," said the doctor. "The ship you've been chasing."

"Oh."

"You're lucky to have survived that, you know," said the doctor. "Certainly, a Natural would not have likely survived. Though, I'm honestly surprised you're already awake, with the injuries you got, but Lieutenant Arata suspected you might. Well, most of the injuries were superficial burns, so maybe I shouldn't be surprised. Now, get some rest. The Captain will wish to speak to you in a little while, so you should rest up."

"Were… Were any of the other mobile suits shot down?"

"No," said the doctor. "From my understanding, the rest of the attackers fled after your machine was destroyed."

"Thank you," he said.

"Don't worry about it," said the doctor. "Just get some rest."

Nicol nodded and then closed his eyes and drifted to sleep. When he woke up a few hours later, the ship's Captain, XO and a blond haired officer came by to ask him some questions. All they got was his name, rank, and serial number. He wasn't going to betray Athrun, Saul and the others.

After they left, Nicol found himself wondering what his teammates were doing right now. Then he realized it. They probably thought he was dead. And his parents would find out soon enough. He could picture his teammates grieving in their own individual ways. He could picture his mother, sitting at his piano, crying.

_The truly ironic part about this is, they'll probably try to destroy the legged ship in revenge. And if they succeed, they'll end up killing me._

* * *

Elsewhere

"You okay Kira?" asked Makoto, eyeing her friend with concern. Kira shifted slightly and sighed.

"Yeah," he said softly. "It's just… if that's what nearly killing Nicol was like, what would killing Athrun…?"

"I see where you're coming from," said Makoto. "I can't fully understand what you're going through—after all, I'm not good friends with any of them—but I understand what you're saying. But for now, just focus on the positives—Nicol is alive, and with a little luck, you won't end up killing Athrun."

"I guess," said Kira quietly. "It's just… I can't understand how he survived. I didn't have a lot of control, but I _know_ my sword was going straight towards his cockpit. But just before it hit, everything just… I don't know, not slowed down, exactly, but easier to understand, like I was in better control, for just an instant."

Makoto blinked. So that's what it was? Well, no, it couldn't be that simple, but…

"I think I have some idea what you're talking about," said Makoto. "I haven't spoken to anyone about this, but… there's this… I don't know how to describe it… a 'light', I guess you could say, within you, Kira. And it's not just you. Chris, Athrun, Zane, Cagalli, even Lacus and I have that same light. I don't know what it is. I didn't even notice it until just before we joined up with the 8th Fleet. When you took on the Blitz and Duel… that's when I first saw it. Your light… exploded, and it enveloped the Strike entirely, and it was much more intense than normal. After that, I was able to feel it in all those people I mentioned, if they were close enough. I can sense it from farther away in battle."

It was Kira's turn to blink.

"So, there really is something different about me?" he asked, thoughts drifting to the Desert Tiger. "… berserker?"

"I don't know if that's it or not, Kira," said Makoto. "All I know is that the light exploded again when we first fought on Earth, after that attack on the _Archangel_, then again when you destroyed the Tiger's machine, and one last time, for just that instant in which you moved the sword to avoid killing Nicol. And that last time… I felt that same sensation of seeing everything slower and more in my control. I'm not sure what it is."

"It's saved us, though," said Kira. "And it saved Nicol, too."

Makoto nodded.

"Yeah," she said. "I don't know what it is, but it's powerful, and not something we can really control. And two of our opponents can do the same. If we have to face that… well, I'm not sure what would happen. But we can't hold back, Kira. I know you don't want to kill any of them, but if we hold back, it could cost us the lives of all our other friends, including Nicol."

"Yeah," said Kira. "You're right."

* * *

The Bridge

The Next Day

"I believe that we'll receive at least one other attack before we reach Alaska's air defense space. They'll want to avenge their fallen comrade," said Victor, pulling up a map on the main screen. "I believe that we should take this route. It is the fastest to Alaska. There is a chain of islands on this path, though. The ideal place for them to ambush us."

"So you're saying we should lure them into an ambush?" asked Natarle.

"Exactly," said Victor. "I'm neither the sniper nor the tactician that the Black Hawk is, but I do know that the only real counter to an ambush is to make the enemy think they're going to catch you off-guard. Ordinarily, I don't think they'd fall for it, but they're most likely angry and irrational, so they'll take whatever opportunity they can to avenge their comrade, without taking the time for the proper planning necessary to make an ambush work when we know they're coming."

"A chain of islands suits them better than us," said Makoto. "Aside from the Strike and GINN, everything we've got is capable of independent flight, while their machines rely on the Guuls. That won't matter as much here." Makoto frowned. "The easiest to deal with, doubtless, will be the Duel, but even that will be tough, and it's also based on circumstance. What we need to do is try and isolate them and take them out one by one, preferably with the Skygrasper supporting just one of our other machines so that the others can keep the enemy occupied."

"Sounds like a good plan," said Mu, who'd gotten plenty used to simply supporting the mobile suits, though he had managed to go toe-to-toe with the Buster on several occasions.

"But any plan we make will be thrown out the window," added Makoto. "This next battle… don't ask me how I know, but this next battle will determine the course of the entire war from here on out. Emotions will be running high. Will the enemy retain any of their stolen machines? Will we retain any of ours? Who will die today that could tip the scale in the balance of power?"

"The _Archangel_ never struck me as being that critical to the war effort," said Victor. "But I see what you're saying. Even a single feather can tip a scale in favor of one side or another."

_Yeah, except I'm thinking of anvils rather than feathers_, thought Makoto, her thoughts drifting to that mysterious light and the power it seemed to entail.

* * *

The Brig

Nicol sighed as he lay on the cot in his cell. Earlier, the doctor had said that he was well on the way to a full recovery and that he was now out of any danger. So, a pair of guards transferred him to a cell in the ship's brig, though it would be a few more days before he was allowed to take off his bandages.

It wasn't that bad, all things considering. It could have been a lot worse. The only thing Nicol really hated about it was being alone. The idea of sitting in a cell all day long, with nothing to do and no one to talk to was not a particularly comforting one. What he wouldn't give for a pencil and some paper. At least then he could pass the time writing music.

"You know, it's funny," came a voice suddenly, startling Nicol. "I should've realized from the start that it was you in the Blitz, Nicol."

Nicol looked up to see Chris in a blue Earth Forces uniform, holding a tray of food.

"Why's that?" asked Nicol.

"Because the other machines come across as far too aggressive for you, except the Surge, but I already know Saul pilots that one," said Chris, sliding the food into the slot at the bottom of the cell door. "You don't seem particularly surprised to see me."

"Saul and I realized just who we met that day a few days before the battle," said Nicol as he got up to get the tray. Chris chuckled.

"Let me guess, before that, you pictured some grizzled, Earth Forces veteran that had been fighting since before the war started, right?" said Chris.

"Well… kinda…" admitted Nicol. Chris laughed.

"Well, sorry to have disappointed you then," he said. "But I'm just a teen from Heliopolis. Until you guys attacked."

"Sorry," said Nicol. "We never wanted things to turn out that way."

"Don't worry about it," said Chris. "It's not like it was the first home I lost because of this war."

Nicol's eyes widened as he remembered Chris's words from the party.

"_We were citizens of the PLANTs until a year and a half ago, remember?"_

"So… when you said you were citizens of the PLANTs…" said Nicol hesitantly. Chris, knowing where Nicol was going, nodded.

"That's right," he said. "Originally, my sister and I were from Junius Seven."

"What happened?" asked Nicol.

"Well…" said Chris. "Originally, I lived in the PLANTs. But when the Tragedy of Copernicus happened, my parents decided that it wasn't safe for us in the PLANTs anymore, and sent Liz and I to live with my aunt and uncle on Heliopolis. They were doctors and they couldn't just pack up and leave. Instead, they had arranged to leave on February 15th. But of course, we both know what happened the day before."

"I'm sorry," said Nicol. Chris shook his head.

"Don't be," he said. "It wasn't your fault, and being pitied irritates me."

"I'll remember that," said Nicol.

"Thanks," said Chris. "By the way, I think Kira or Makoto might be by later to talk to you as well. Just something you can look forward too. Kira's still feeling pretty torn up about nearly killing you back there." Nicol nodded, grinning slightly.

"Okay, I think I know where you're going with that," said Nicol. "I'll make sure he knows that it's okay."

"Thanks," said Chris. "In the meantime, though, need anything else?

"Actually, I wouldn't mind some paper and something to write with," said Nicol.

"Oh?"

"Yeah," said Nicol. "I'm a musician and I like to write my own music."

"Well… I'll see what I can do," said Chris. "The paper's no problem, but I may get in trouble if I give you a pencil, as it could be seen as something that can be used as a weapon."

"Oh…"

"But, so long as you don't try anything funny, I don't see any reason not too," said Chris. "I'll talk to Makoto about it. Given her apparent love for music, she might be willing to allow it, and if she does, no one else is gonna object."

Nicol blinked.

"She's got that much influence on this ship?" he asked. Chris grinned.

"Actually, she's the third highest ranking officer," he said. "She's in command of our mobile suit squadron. The only people who might object to the pencil are still lower than her in the command structure though."

"I see," said Nicol, smiling. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," said Chris, then, almost absentmindedly, he added something else. "It's probably a good thing she was given her current uniform. Pink does _not_ look good on that tomboy."

"I'll be sure to tell you're commanding officer what you think of her gender-orientation," said Nicol, grinning. Chris threw Nicol a dark look.

"Damn it, and I can't even threaten to not get you that pencil and paper."

* * *

Makoto's Quarters

A few hours later

"So, how did your visit with Nicol go?" asked Liz as Makoto stepped back into her quarters.

"Fine," said Makoto, somewhat idly as she headed for her bathroom. Hers was one of the only rooms on the entire ship that featured a private room. "He and Kira were talking about Athrun when I left, but I don't think it'll last. They both realize that next time, Athrun's going to be out for blood—Kira's blood."

"Are you avoiding me or something?" asked Liz suddenly, trying—and failing—to hide her irritation.

"No," said Makoto, removing the shirt of her uniform. "Look, I'm sorry we haven't gotten to talk much lately, but things have been hectic since we left the desert."

"It's not like you to understate such facts," said Liz. "Hectic doesn't even begin to describe our situation for the most part, but what about Orb?"

"Master Misuumi was pretty insistent that I finish my training in Shinsei Tsurugi," said Makoto, now stripped down to her undergarments as she grabbed a robe and a pair of towels. "Also, it offered a good opportunity for me to work with Victor on my marksmanship. I'm at too much of a disadvantage when I'm not in my opponent's face."

Liz felt a slight twinge of jealousy when Makoto mentioned the mercenary, but quickly crushed it almost irritably. She was being irrational—there was nothing to be jealous of.

"If you want to talk more, then wait till I finish my shower," said Makoto.

* * *

A half hour later

"Ah, that felt good," said Makoto, finally emerging from her bathroom, and proceeding to pull out a clean uniform.

"Took your sweet time, didn't you?" said Liz sarcastically.

"We don't have to worry about our water supply or spare time, so I'm gonna take advantage of it while I can," said Makoto simply.

"Well, can you tell me how your training's been going then?" said Liz, a slight note of hesitation in her voice. Makoto paused in pulling on her uniform to glance over at her friend, raising an eyebrow quizzically. Liz's entire posture suddenly screamed nervousness. Shrugging it off, for now, Makoto continued to pull on her uniform.

"As good as can be expected," said Makoto. "Master Misuumi can barely challenge me anymore. Aunt Serenity always did say that I learned and grew quickly. Against Naturals, Master Misuumi has always come out on top, so I guess that says I could probably equal even the best Coordinators, though I honestly don't believe that. Shinsei Tsurugi was always more about inner peace than simple fighting."

"And your marksmanship?" Now, Makoto was certain: Liz was stalling. She wondered why.

"Pretty good," said Makoto. "Not in Victor's class, certainly, but still, considerably better than when I started. I considered roping Kira and Chris into it as well, but Kira doesn't really need it—he's almost as good as Victor already—and I figured I'd let Chris enjoy himself. Same for you."

Neither of them spoke for a few minutes as Makoto finished pulling on her uniform and brushing her hair.

"Why are you so determined to get better?" asked Liz. "Do you think that you can't count on us?"

"No," said Makoto, sitting in her chair opposite Liz on the bed. "I know I can count on you. I'm pushing myself because I don't want to _rely_ on you."

"What, so that you can keep us out of the fighting?" snapped Liz hotly. Makoto sighed and shook her head.

"No, you misunderstand," she said. "I still want your support—yours, Kira's, Chris's, Victor's, Lieutenant La Flaga's—but I don't want that help to be necessary. If that aid and support are unnecessary, then having it becomes overwhelming, and it keeps all of us alive. Do you understand?"

Biting her lip slightly, Liz nodded.

"But…" continued Makoto. "That has nothing to do with why you're here. What's going on Liz? Why are you so nervous?"

"Um… well… I…" stuttered Liz before stopping and sighing. "Makoto… promise me you won't hate me."

Makoto tilted her head slightly in a curious manner.

"Why would I hate you?" she asked.

"Just promise me!" said Liz, tears now creeping into her eyes.

"O-okay," said Makoto, surprised. "I promise you, Liz, that I won't hate you. I swear it, on my honor as a martial artist and a member of the Taiyonoha House."

Liz stifled a gasp, which came out as a choked sob. She'd never expected Makoto to do _that_.

"Thank you…" said Liz softly. Then, she stood up, crossed the distance between them, grabbed Makoto, and kissed the redhead.

Makoto's eyes widened in shock at the feel of Liz's lips against hers. This was… she'd never expected something like this.

Before Makoto could react, Liz pulled back, a small, sad, but content smile adorning her lips even as tears poured from her eyes.

"I love you, Makoto," said Liz before spinning and tearing out of the room and down the hall, tears continuing to stream from her eyes.

Back in her room, Makoto was still numb with shock, slowly bringing a hand to her lips in a subconscious motion.

"Liz… no, Elizabeth, you…" whispered Makoto.

* * *

Aboard the _Cousteau_

The Next Day

"Sonar has picked up something. It's the legged ship!"

"Are you sure?" asked the Captain.

"There's no mistake sir."

"They're heading for a chain of small islands. There isn't a lot of room for them to maneuver. It's the ideal place for an ambush," said the Captain.

"Today's the day we're gonna finish that ship and it's mobile suits for good," said Yzak.

"Yeah. Today we're gonna avenge Nicol and your scar," said Dearka.

"For Nicol," said Saul, punching his palm. "They're going down."

"We're taking off," said Athrun.

* * *

The _Archangel_

"Ma'am! Enemy silhouette detected!" said Chandra. "Six mobile suits incoming."

"Just as he thought. They're attacking!" said Murrue. "All hands to Level One Battlestations!"

* * *

_Archangel_ Hangar

"_All hands to Level One Battlestations! I repeat…_"

"Alright, they've taken the bait," said Victor from the cockpit of his machine. "Listen, I know I don't have any real authority, but I advise everyone to stay close to the ship. They'll be trying to force her down into the waters where the islands will constrict her movements. We can't let that happen."

"_He's right,_" said Makoto. "_Kira, Chris, I want the two of you to stick together. If either of you has to move away from the ship, I want you to do it together. Don't forget, unlike in space, we can't try and negotiate our prisoner for a ceasefire. And Chris? Make _sure_ you stay close to Kira. The enemy's gonna be out for his blood._"

"_Roger that,_" said the two boys as they launched the catapults and Kira landed the IWSP Strike atop the Raven's mobile armor form.

"_Ensign Dante, stick close to Lieutenant La Flaga until you think it tactically or strategically unwise,_" said Makoto, her tone oddly professional.

"_Yes ma'am,_" said Liz, tone equally professional. The other pilots all exchanged confused glances over their monitors. The two female pilots had seemingly been avoiding each other since yesterday, and when they did encounter or speak to one another, they were both very strictly professional, like they were only a pair of soldiers, rather than the best friends everyone had come to believe they were.

A few moments later, the Launcher Skygrasper and remaining mobile suits had taken off. The Talos stood atop the rear deck while the Strike and Raven flew alongside the _Archangel_ opposite the Skygrasper and Guardian, with the Dauntless hovering over the bridge tower, waiting for the enemy.

"Let's go!" said Dearka as he combined the Buster's guns into the sniper rifle and fired. The _Archangel_ evaded the beam while Victor fired back at the Buster. Yzak roared, heading for the Strike and Raven. He fired at the mobile suit as Kira and Chris returned fire. The shots either missed or were blocked by their shields. Once the mobile suits close in on each other, Kira drew a sword while Yzak drew a beam saber and they attacked.

The Buster and CGUE fired upon the _Archangel_ relentlessly, scoring several hits, but Nuemann skillfully evaded many of the shots, to the frustration of both ZAFT pilots. They were forced to back off, though, as the Skygrasper, Talos and Guardian opened fire on them.

The Resolute, however, proved far more effective, and more than a few people gaped as the Resolute evaded fire from the Dauntless and _Archangel_ while seeming to blindly return fire—only for each and every last bullet and missile to hit, swerving past the Igelstellung defense, taking out a trio of the CIWS guns, one of the Valiants, and blasting a hole along nearly the entire length of one of the legs, exposing the starboard catapult and the upper sections of the Lohengrin.

"Damn!" said Makoto, closing with the Resolute, Exia and her machine cannons blazing. Erik dodged the fire and drew a beam saber, turning his attention on Makoto. The two clashed, but Makoto was surprised to realize that even at this range, she was still at a disadvantage.

_What the hell…? What is he?_ she asked herself.

_This is why I can't be trusted_, thought Erik as he fended off and drove back the Dauntless while simultaneously continuing to rain fire down on the legged ship, if somewhat less effectively.

Meanwhile, the Aegis and Surge swooped in on the clash of the Strike, Raven, and Duel, rifles blazing.

"Damn!" cursed Chris, narrowly avoiding their attacks as he pulled away from the Duel. "We're gonna have to split up."

"_Right,_" said Kira, switching back to his rifle.

Before the Strike could leap free of the Raven, however, the Duel did something completely unexpected, jumping off of its Guul and kicking the Strike off the Raven. Kira blocked with his shield, avoiding any damage to his armor, and took aim with his rifle.

He had a clear shot as the Duel closed the distance with its flight platform. He could end it, and never have to worry about the Duel again.

But he didn't—after learning from Nicol just why Yzak had such a vendetta against him, Kira knew that he'd have to eventually speak to the silver-haired teenager face-to-face about everything that had happened.

That in mind, Kira pulled the trigger, and pierced the Duel's right knee just as the suit landed on its platform. The leg exploded, knocking it clear of the badly damaged Guul and sending it plunging to the waters below. But as the Duel fell, Yzak aimed and fired the Shiva railgun at the Strike, and though most of the shots missed, one pierced the rifle, destroying it.

"Damn it, what is up with that guy?" asked Victor incredulously as the Resolute continued to pummel the _Archangel_ and fight off the Dauntless without apparent effort. Victor had seen Makoto decisively defeat the Resolute three times, but suddenly, he was treating her and everyone else like they were nothing more than pests!

"_Victor, the Aegis is above!_" said Mu as he and Liz continued their assault on the Buster and CGUE. The GINN snapped its head up and took aim with its rifle as the Aegis transformed and descended, firing its Scylla while the _Archangel_ evaded.

The powerful mortar melted through the port Valiant, which exploded. The Aegis then transformed back and fired its beam rifle, taking out a pair of Igelstellungs and the Helldart launchers before landing on its Guul and spinning around to fire on the _Archangel_'s engines, evading fire from the Talos the entire time.

"Damn it!" cursed Victor. "Kira, Chris, we need help! The ship won't last much longer!"

At that moment, the Buster found an opening and fired its anti-armor shotgun repeatedly, crippling the _Archangel_'s engines. It was just too much—the warship was effectively crippled and could no longer maintain its lift. The _Archangel_ began to descend on one of the islands.

"Damn it! I'm coming!" said Chris, turning towards the battered ship.

"Oh no you don't!" said Saul, jumping off his Guul.

The Surge landed on the Raven, rifle aimed straight down, ready to obliterate the midnight blue transforming mobile suit…

Suddenly, the Guardian appeared, wing-mounted beam blades deployed, ready to slice through the Surge.

"Shit!" shouted Saul as he jumped back, firing at the mobile armor.

A lucky shot struck one of the wings, destroying it and critically damaging the Guardian.

"Liz!" shouted Chris as his sister struggled with her damaged machine. While not crippling in space, in an atmosphere, the lost explosion of the wing rendered her practically useless.

"_I'm not going down that easily!_" said Liz.

"_No, Liz, get out of here!_" said Makoto suddenly. The Dante siblings snapped their heads around to look at the Dauntless, and saw Makoto struggling against the power of the Resolute, which now had everything focused on her. "_You can't do anymore good out here! Get going! Protect the _Archangel_ with Victor!_"

There was a note of almost-desperation in Makoto's voice that Chris couldn't understand.

"… _Okay,_" said Liz quietly, turning the Guardian towards the descending _Archangel_ as it launched the second Skygrasper.

An energy blast drew Chris's attention to the blood red CGUE, which descended towards him with an unmistakable fury.

Elsewhere, Kira exchanged fire with Athrun, who suddenly leapt off the Guul, sending it flying at the Strike, and fired at it, causing an explosion that sent Kira's suit tumbling towards the island where the _Archangel_ was crash landing.

"Sitting duck," said Dearka as he swooped in on the vulnerable warship alongside the Surge.

"Not today!" said Mu, appearing below and firing his beam cannon. One of the shots pierced the Guul, and the Buster leapt off, combining its weapons into its shotgun and exchanging fire with the Launcher Skygrasper's Agni cannon.

A round from the shotgun pierced the Skygrasper's left engine at the same time a shot from the Agni tore through the Buster's right shoulder, severing the arm.

The Skygrasper crash-landed in the water, while the Buster crashed into the hill in front of the _Archangel_.

"Man, the hydro's knocked out, drive pulse decreasing… no!" said Dearka as he struggled to get the Buster to move. The machine, however, only responded with a warning alarm that drew the blonde's attention to the warship in front of him. Both of its massive cannons were aimed straight at him. Gritting his teeth, Dearka saw no other option.

The hatch of the Buster opened and Dearka, sans helmet, stepped out, raising his hands in surrender, to the surprise of the _Archangel_ bridge crew.

Meanwhile, Chris and Zane circled each other, exchanging fire.

Zane took careful aim with the thermal cannon. He couldn't miss this time! That mobile armor would never dodge!

But as the cannon fired, the Raven shifted to mobile suit mode, allowing the energy beam to pass harmlessly between its left arm and torso, and returned fire with its shield cannon, destroying Zane's Guul.

"Damn," muttered Zane, leaping free.

Elsewhere, the Resolute let loose a sudden barrage of missiles on the Dauntless, and Makoto was sent careening out of the sky, landing in the water just off shore. As the Dauntless stood back up, water falling from it, the Resolute cut apart its own Guul with its beam saber before landing in the water a mere twenty meters away.

Lightning flashed across the sky and rain began to fall as the Strike crashed onto the island.

"For Nicol!" shouted Athrun, descending on the Strike. Kira blocked with his shield, and the two leapt away from each other before the Aegis again charge at the Strike, ignoring the pummeling of the Strike's railguns and cannons.

"How could you do it Kira?!" shouted Athrun over the radio. "You murdered Nicol!"

"_No!_" said Kira. "_I didn—_"

"SHUT UP! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" roared Athrun as he charged once more at the Strike.

* * *

Elsewhere

The Surge descended towards the _Archangel_. There were only two remaining obstacles to finishing it off. If he could just deal with them…

Victor eyed the Surge for a moment.

"Liz, leave this guy to me," he said.

"_Okay,_" said Liz, all too easily, focused on the general direction in which the Dauntless and Resolute were battling.

Saul fired at the gray GINN High Maneuver Type with an accuracy that most would've considered lethal. But Victor wasn't a former member of the Alaric Team and most trusted of the Black Hawk's friends for nothing. He sidestepped the shot and returned fire with even greater accuracy, hitting the Surge's rifle. Saul discarded the weapon just before it exploded. As he did so, sniper rounds tore through his Guul, and he was forced to leap off, landing on the _Archangel_ deck opposite the Talos.

"Surrender," said Victor over the radio.

"_Never!_" said the Surge pilot, drawing his swords. "_I'm not giving up that easily!_"

"You're machine may be superior to mine," said Victor calmly. "But you're no match for me kid!"

The Surge lunged forward and slashed with both swords. Victor discarded his own rifle and drew both of his own swords, parrying the Surge's.

The Talos delivered a kick to the Surge's torso, and Victor quickly lashed out with his left sword, knocking the Surge's smaller sword from its hand. Unfortunately, Saul managed to regain his wits, and hacked away the right arm of the Talos before slamming the Surge's shoulder into the GINN, sending it falling to the deck, its remaining sword flying free.

"I told you!" said Saul, standing over the GINN. "I'm not giving up that easily!"

"_Never lower your guard in combat, boy!_" said Victor, drawing one of the beam sabers hidden in the GINN's shoulders in place of its original knives.

"Wha—?" gasped Saul.

Before he could react, Victor's saber slashed through the Surge's shins. Saul swore as his machine fell backward, the tables now turned with the GINN standing over him. He tried to reach for the fallen sniper rifle but a pair of shots destroyed both of his machine's arms and he found the tip of Victor's beam saber inches from the cockpit.

"_Don't,_" said Victor. "_It's over. Power down and step out of the cockpit._"

Saul glanced around and swore as he realized that he'd forgotten about the Guardian. If a mobile suit could look furious, then the Guardian had accomplished it. Actually, no, the machine somehow looked downright murderous.

It was over. He could admit to that. He powered down the Surge and opened up the cockpit. The Talos pulled its saber back.

"I surrender," said Saul as he stepped out of the cockpit, his hands raised and helmet removed, just as Dearka did.

* * *

Meanwhile

The Strike and the Aegis continued to battle. From the valley they fought in, the clash between the Dauntless and Resolute in the shallow waters was also visible, the two simply struggling with each other in melee combat at the moment. On a nearby hill, the Raven and CGUE fought tooth and nail for every inch of ground they could get.

Kira, though, found himself being beaten back by Athrun. He was fighting like he was possessed. Kira was struggling just to defend himself from the attacks. If he couldn't…

"_Kira!_" came a voice over the radio suddenly.

"Tolle, no!" shouted Kira as the second Skygrasper appeared in the skies overhead.

Tolle fired on the Aegis, but the red mobile suit evaded the missile and beams, leaping into the air, and throwing its shield at the fighter. Tolle gasped, and time seemed to slow for Kira, Chris, and Makoto, who all saw the shield spin towards the fighter, which, in a last ditch effort to avoid it, turned to the side.

But Tolle never stood a chance, and the spinning shield crashed into the fighter, tip just behind the cockpit—Tolle could feel it pass over him—severing the cockpit as the rest of the fighter exploded, engulfing Tolle, the cockpit, and the shield in the fireball.

"Tolle!" screamed Kira, Chris, and Makoto as the fighter exploded.

"_What a fool,_" said Zane. "_Thinking that a fighter was a match for a mobile suit. That idiot has only himself to blame for his death._"

Images of Chris's parents and friends from Junius Seven filled his head. Then, images of its fiery death. Then that little girl from Heliopolis that gave him the paper flower that was still on the Raven's control console. Zane taking aim, ready to fire at her shuttle. Then, finally, all the good times he had with Tolle, from the day they first met to the more recent events. His death and Zane's words collided as a jewel-like gray-green seed shattered in the back of his mind.

The collision of shield with fighter repeated in Kira's mind dozens of times in an instant, along with Athrun's refusal to listen. Behind Kira's eyes, an amethyst seed shattered.

"My fault…" said Makoto quietly. "I could've stopped him. I could've…"

Makoto's entire body came alive, an energy like none she'd felt before rushing through her veins as a jewel-like emerald seed casting thousands of colors through her body shattered within her heart.

* * *

"ZANE!" roared Chris, turning back to the CGUE.

He drew both beam sabers and lunged at the red machine. The CGUE jumped back, barely dodging the sabers, and fired. The Raven twisted out of the path, a saber flashing forward and cutting the thermal cannon's forward barrel off. Chris seemed oblivious to this fact though, and kept on attacking Zane like a possessed animal, quickly severing the CGUE's left arm at the elbow.

"Damn it!" cursed Zane. "I refuse to lose to you and that machine! I will defeat you!"

Rage practically pouring from every fiber of Zane's very being, a gray seed shattered in the back of his mind.

"I… will not… lose… TO YOU!" he roared over the radio.

Zane snatched his sword while firing the missile pod on his CGUE's left shoulder—a weapon he'd practically forgotten since it was useless against the Raven's armor—repeatedly at his foe, knocking the left arm aside. He immediately stabbed forward with his sword, jamming it with an unnatural ferocity at the left shoulder where he let loose a barrage of missiles.

For an instant, the Phase Shift Armor was nullified just enough for Zane's furious stab to pierce it.

The Raven's left arm froze, its beam saber died, as did the arm's Phase Shift Armor.

But Chris didn't care. He swung his remaining saber at the CGUE's left shoulder, removing the missile pod and the remains of the arm entirely before pressing on.

* * *

Meanwhile, the battle between Kira and Athrun become just as vicious.

"ATHRUN!" roared Kira as the two charged. He deflected Athrun's right beam saber with his shield, then severed the left arm at the shoulder with the beam blade of his sword before Athrun could put it to use. The Strike then kicked the Aegis in the head, sending it flying back, though Athrun managed to keep his machine on its feet before leaping backwards into the air, away from the furious pursuing Strike as the white machine fired its railguns, cannons, and shield-mounted gatling furiously.

Athrun grit his teeth. He'd driven Kira over the edge. Now, his friend—no, his enemy!—knew what it was like!

"I'm gonna…" said Athrun as the Strike began to descend on him. "KILL YOU!" A green jewel seed rushed through Athrun's mind before shattering behind his eyes.

Athrun activated the beam sabers in his machine's feet and flew forward, no longer caring about the attacks from the railguns and cannons.

The Aegis kicked at the Strike, the beam saber severing the Strike's left arm. The Strike's sword flashed forward, cutting through the Aegis's head, ripping it off. Athrun again kicked at the Strike, his saber this time cutting a gash in the Strike's chest, exposing the cockpit.

"ATHRUN!" roared Kira.

"KIRA!" roared Athrun in turn, transforming the Aegis into its mobile armor form and grabbing the Strike with its claws. He pulled the trigger for the Scylla, and the weapon charged, ready to fire a mortar straight through Athrun's enemy… but then it died, and Aegis faded from red to gray. Athrun stared at his power monitor.

No! It couldn't end like this!

The Strike struggled, and Athrun saw the machine look at the Aegis—at him. Kira was as ready to kill him as he was to kill Kira.

Athrun had sworn, though. He'd sworn to kill Kira.

Athrun activated the Aegis's self-destruct and ejected.

* * *

Where before, Erik had been hard-pressing Makoto and everyone else, he now found himself utterly overwhelmed. It was almost blinding.

The Exia was tossed into the air and Makoto sprung both her Armor Schneider and stabbed one into the bottom of the Resolute's beam saber, while the other sprouted from the underbelly of the Resolute's shield, yet again. Erik removed the shield quickly, but before he could even spring his remaining beam saber, Makoto drew both of hers and cut the Resolute's arms free, then stabbed them into its shoulders.

Still faster than a stunned Erik could react, Makoto drew both her anti-armor swords and used them to cut free the missile launchers mounted on the Resolute's legs. As Erik instinctively opened his chest gatling—the only weapon he had left—he found both swords buried in the two barrels.

All this in the few seconds the Exia remained in the air, as the Dauntless grabbed its main weapon once more and, blue eyes flashing with a seeming fire, the Exia flashed through the air.

Makoto hadn't even blinked as she stepped away from her foe.

"You're not a threat to me or my friends any longer, Saharin," said Makoto coldly, pupils dilated, emerald irises engulfing almost her entire eyes, appearing faceted like a diamond. Tears of blood leaked from Makoto's eyes, staining her once-pristine uniform.

Fractures spread through the frame of the Dauntless as, before Makoto's very eyes, the Resolute fell apart, the pieces exploding, and the cockpit landing safely in the water.

"Hold together girl," said Makoto, turning to face the other battles. The Aegis ran out of power as she watched and, knowing what would happen, Makoto rushed forward, further straining the Dauntless's badly damaged frame, already pushed past its limits.

The Exia flashed, severing the Aegis's claws and freeing the Strike at the same instant the clawed mobile armor exploded.

* * *

Both Chris and Zane saw the Aegis shut down and Athrun escape, breaking up their fight. Zane knew what Athrun was doing; he grinned and immediately fled the area. Chris, on the other hand, didn't realize what Athrun did, and turned to the fleeing CGUE, preparing to fire.

Suddenly, the Aegis exploded. The fireball engulfed the Strike and Dauntless and expanded, slamming into the Raven, and drawing Chris's attention.

His eyes, already wide-looking from the change in them wrought with the shattered seed, widened further as the Dauntless disintegrated in the flames.

* * *

_So… this is the price for saving Cagalli. Tolle's life… and mine. Did I try to play god? Mess with fate?_

_Elizabeth… I'm sorry… I won't be able to give you a response…_

Makoto realized she would never know the answer to her questions as her machine, her precious Dauntless, disintegrated around her and flames licked at her body and uniform, her cockpit beginning to collapse inward on her body.

* * *

**Author's Notes:*Sigh* Depressed... I killed Makoto and it's only halfway through the story, and so soon after we learned almost everything about her. Well, I have heard of mysteries better left unsolved, but I wonder if Serenity will be more liberal with information regarding Makoto's relation to "Divinity" now that she's dead?  
**

**We also get an interesting look at Erik, and people who have seen _Gundam 00_ might just be able to realize his secret, if they remember enough of the hints from previous chapters.**

**You also have to feel sorry for Liz. She'd just confessed to Makoto, but before Makoto could sort out a reply, well... all of this happened. Odds are that she'll be even more torn up by this than anyone else had been in canon. It's one thing for Mir, but Liz... well, they say it's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all, but Liz never even got a real chance to love Makoto, and now she's lost her.**

**You also have to wonder what Erik will do--up to this point, his motives have centered around defeating Makoto or making her stronger. Now, he's lost her and his own machine.**

**Guess we'll just have to wait and see what fate has in store for everyone.**

**Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Ja ne!  
**


	20. Phase 19: Grieving Skies

**While I know these updates are pleasing to my readers, don't expect this to keep up.**

**At this point in time, the bulk of the chapters are gonna be nothing more than mildly revised versions of the chapters in Akatsuki Leader13's _Gundam SEED: A Retelling_, with some added scenes and an altered scene here or there. Next chapter will be more original then this one, but at this point, you could see it as being back to the way things were in the beginning: the chapters are little more than revisions of the original version. This is because, at the moment, the bulk of my changes do not directly affect the _Archangel_ or Orb (the inclusion of Makoto and Erik). The biggest impact my changes have on those parts are the fact that the ZAFT pilots know the Orb volunteers and Liz's feelings for Makoto. On the other hand, scenes with Kira and Lacus will probably be a little more different, since their relationship is much more, shall we say, 'blatant' than in the anime or the original _A Retelling_. Scenes with Athrun will also be altered with the inclusion of Erik in the next couple of chapters.**

**I think you all get the idea.**

**Also, I have to say that I am _very_ satisfied with the responses to the last chapter. I wasn't lying when I said I'd be dropping a city-sized bombshell on people. I remember a lot of speculation on whether or not Makoto would upgrade to a nuclear MS or stick to the Dauntless, but no one ever really thought about whether or not she'd actually survive long enough for that to happen.**

**Also, even though this chapter is primarily a rewrite, I'm certain the changes will receive a lot of positive responses. You know you did a good job when you start to tear up writing an emotional scene (the end of the second scene). I'm serious, I was actually tearing up when I wrote that part.**

**Disclaimer: Check previous chapters. The only thing I have to add to it at this point is Lacus's presence on Earth and the new OC at the end of the chapter.  
**

* * *

Phase Nineteen: Grieving Skies

April 17th, C.E. 71

* * *

The Marshall Islands

Chris groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. He blinked a few times as everything came back into focus. He shook his head in an effort to clear the fog away faster.

The Raven. It was lying on the ground on its front. The Phase Shift Armor had deactivated and the main battery was almost completely out of power, even its reserves. He switched over to the much smaller reserve battery, which barely had enough power to fill the reserve gauge halfway up. But, it would give him enough power to get back to the ship. The screens in the cockpit slowly flickered to life, most of them displaying static. Either the screens were damaged or most of his camera had been taken out. Or… probably a little of both.

Slowly, he brought the Raven to its feet. There were several mechanical groans that accompanied the Raven's movements. The Gundam was in rough shape. The left arm hung at its side, completely useless. The wings were also badly warped from the powerful explosion, but it wasn't anything irreparable. But he had to get back to the ship before any of the ZAFT mobile suits found him.

He turned towards where he thought the _Archangel_ had crashed and started to head in that direction. But he froze suddenly, remembering just what had happened before he woke up.

_Suddenly, the Aegis exploded. The fireball engulfed the Strike and Dauntless and expanded, slamming into the Raven, and drawing Chris's attention._

_His eyes, already wide-looking from the change in them wrought with the shattered seed, widened further as the Dauntless disintegrated in the flames._

"_AAAAAAAAH!" screamed Chris as the Raven was sent flying by the explosion and slammed and tumbled across the ground before darkness took him._

"Kira! Makoto!" cried Chris into the radio, spinning around and scanning the area for any sign of the two machines. The explosion had thrown him deeper into the woods, though, and there was no trace of the Strike, the Dauntless, or even debris from the Aegis.

"Kira! Makoto! Come in you two! Can you hear me?!" said Chris desperately over the comm., hoping it was working. "Please, if either of you can hear me, respond!"

Static was his only response.

"Come on you two, where are you?" he said to himself as he listened to the static. "You guys… you guys are tougher than that, and so are the Strike and Dauntless! Come on, where are you?! That explosion couldn't have finished you off!"

"… _Tol… Kira… ris… kot… ase.. res…_" crackled his radio.

Miriallia! Chris found some small comfort in the fact that at least the Archangel was still out there, and he immediately set to tracking the signal to its source.

He needed to get closer and find out just what the hell the situation was!

* * *

_Archangel_ Bridge

The bridge was silent, save for Miriallia's attempts to contact the three missing mobile suits and the Skygrasper. They'd all seen the explosion, and all contact with the mobile suits had been lost when it had happened, the Skygrasper vanishing a moment before that. They all feared the worst.

"_Captain, what was that explosion just now?_" asked Mu over the intercom. Liz and Victor were visible behind them.

"I don't know," said Murrue. "But we've lost contact with the Strike, Raven, Dauntless and Skygrasper 2."

Liz gasped, backing away from the monitor.

"… _gel… this… Chris…_"

"Chris? Chris! This is the _Archangel_! Do you read?!" cried Mir, frantically trying to reestablish communications with the Raven.

"Archangel_… re gone… coming…_" Even over the radio, the defeated tone of Chris's voice was unmistakable, and fear gripped the hearts of all who heard it, including the three pilots in the hangar.

"Chris!" said Mir. "We're not gone! We're still here!"

"Archangel_… This is Chris… still here… Raven's damaged…_" came Chris's voice, now more disjointed by his disjointed, defeated tone than by the interference.

"Chris," said Mir, seeming to calm down a little now that he could clearly be heard. "What happened to Tolle, Kira and Makoto?"

The pause was agonizing and deafening.

"_Gone…_" came Chris's voice at last. Eyes widened in horror. "_Tolle, he's… dead… Kira and Makoto… I… I don't know… I couldn't find any sign of them after the Aegis exploded…_"

Stunned silence filled the bridge. No one even acknowledged the apparent victory over the Aegis. Miriallia let out a sob, breaking the silence, and ran out of the bridge.

No one tried to stop her. No one had the heart to.

"_You have to send someone out to search for them!_" said Chris, sounding almost crazed with desperation.

"Captain! Three contacts on the radar!" cried Flay.

"They're DINNs ma'am!" said Chandra. "They'll be on us in fifteen minutes!"

"Prepare to intercept," ordered Murrue.

"We can't," said Natarle through gritted teeth, sounding even more frustrated and angry with their situation than anyone would've thought possible from her. "The only weapons we have left are the Gottfrieds and Lohengrin, and they aren't even operating at half-efficiency. We won't last ten minutes against them. We have to leave the area as soon as possible."

"_What about Kira and Makoto?!_" said Chris. "_We can't just leave them out there!_"

"There's nothing we can do!" snarled Natarle in anger, slamming a fist on the armrest of her chair, startling the rest of the bridge crew. "We've got nothing to fight back with! At this point, we have no choice but to declare Lieutenant Arata and Ensign Yamato MIA. Return to the ship."

"_But they—_"

"Ensign Dante, return to the ship," said Murrue, slumping in her chair in defeat.

Chris sighed audibly. "_Yes ma'am…_"

No one noticed that Liz had disappeared.

"Captain, power has been restored," said Neumann unenthusiastically.

"Prepare to take off once the Raven is on board," said Murrue. "What was the last known position of the Strike and Dauntless?"

"But captain! We don't have enough time to search for them," said Natarle. "If we stayed, we'd risk losing the ship and everyone on board, and increase the chances of ZAFT finding them if they are out there."

"I know," said Murrue. "Send out an SOS, along with their last known coordinates to Orb," ordered Murrue.

"Orb?" questioned Natarle, a part of her suddenly grateful for Murrue's position as captain. She'd never have thought of such a thing herself.

"Orb will accept," said Murrue confidently. "We're asking them to save lives."

"Yes ma'am," said Natarle, more than happy to comply with the order.

The damaged Raven approached the _Archangel_. The ship barely had enough power to move itself to the ocean and leave the area, let alone open one of the damaged catapults. Fortunately, the Resolute had already blown a hole onto one of the catapult decks, and the Raven clumsily jumped up, landed on the catapult, and staggered into the hangar.

Chris moved his midnight blue mobile suit to its usual spot, next to where the Strike normally stood. On the other side of the Strike, the Dauntless would normally have been locked in place, with the Guardian on the other side of Makoto's machine. But now, only the Guardian stood there. The Raven stepped past the captured and presently crippled Buster and Surge and came to rest in its cradle. Chris didn't say anything as he deactivated his machine and climbed out. Once he was out of the cockpit, he tore off his helmet and slammed it into the ground, screaming as he did so. He leaned on the catwalk, his eyes watering.

"Tori. Tori," chirped Kira's mechanical pet, flying through the hangar before landing on Chris's head.

Normally, Chris would have swatted the bird off his head. But at the moment, he didn't care. Tolle was gone. Kira and Makoto were missing. Worse, they'd abandoned his commanding officer and wingman—his _friends_!—to save themselves.

Chris slammed his fists onto the railing. He was right there and he didn't do anything. He should've known that Athrun would have self-destructed like that! He was closer than Makoto, he could've gotten there and pulled the Aegis off the Strike and avoided all of this!

Elsewhere, Mir approached the flight simulator that Tolle had spent so much time in.

"Tolle?" said Mir, tears in her eyes.

Mu approached the grieving girl.

"Where's Tolle?" she asked him.

Mu didn't say anything. He hated these situations, and he never knew what to say, how to offer any sort of comfort.

_Because there's no comfort to be offered in situations like these you fool_, he thought to himself.

"Tolle cannot be dead…" sobbed Mir. "He just can't… because… because…!"

Mir collapsed to the ground, crying. Mu reached out to her, but drew his hand back before he touched her. Instead, he punched the flight simulator in frustration and grief.

There was nothing he could do to help her, to help any of them!

A sob down the catwalk caused Chris to look to his right, where Liz stood looking at where the Dauntless had docked. Tears streamed down her face. Standing straight, Chris walked over to her, not even bothering to conceal the tears running down his own face.

"How can this…" said Liz, her words coming out in a choked sob. "How can she be gone?! She's strong! How can… how can…!"

Liz collapsed to her knees, crying as Chris had never seen her cry before, not even for the loss of their parents. Not knowing what to do, Chris knelt down next to her and grabbed her in a comforting embrace.

Liz leaned willingly into Chris, into the brother that had always protected her from the greatest of pain. But even he could do nothing to numb the pain that was tearing Liz apart.

"She can't be dead," sobbed Liz. "She can't be dead." She continued to sob this, over and over again, and Chris just held her. He glanced up to where the Dauntless had stood.

"Please, Makoto," said Chris. "Please… you can't be dead. There are still so many people who need you… come back to us… and bring Kira back with you."

* * *

Reverend Malchio's Orphanage

"Miss Lacus, Miss Lacus, look!" said one of the children. Lacus, who'd been pacing nervously since the rain began, sensing, somehow, that something was wrong, stopped and looked where the child was pointing, outside the open door.

A silhouette stalked towards them, unsteady on its feet. Curious, Lacus walked closer to the door.

Lightning flashed across the sky, and Lacus gasped as she realized who it was out there.

Walking another ten feet, the delirious form of Kira Yamato collapsed to the ground.

* * *

Aboard the _Cousteau_

"Captain!" said Yzak as he entered the _Cousteau_'s bridge. "Why are we moving?! Athrun, Dearka, Erik and Saul aren't back yet!"

"They're all missing, I'm afraid," said the captain. "And Commander Le Creuset has ordered us to return to base."

"Missing?!" exclaimed Yzak. "What do you mean missing?!"

"What do you think it means?" said Zane, staring at the screens. "Dearka, Saul and Erik were likely shot down, and Athrun likely killed himself taking out the Strike."

"WHAT?!" shouted Yzak.

"He grabbed the Strike with the Aegis and then self-destructed," said Zane. "I did see him bail out, but it's unlikely that he cleared the blast radius in time. But he did destroy the Strike, and likely the Raven and Dauntless as well."

"Turn this ship around right now!" shouted Yzak. "There's no way that all four of them are dead! We don't wear these red uniforms for nothing!"

"Those red uniforms mean that you should be able to make decisions calmly and rationally," said the captain. "We have been ordered to return. A separate team has been dispatched to search the area. And we've received word that Orb is also joining in the search for survivors. If they're alive, they'll be found."

* * *

Aboard the _Archangel_

"Well… this is one fine mess we've gotten ourselves into," said Saul mildly.

The two of them had been taken to one of the locker rooms, stripped of their flight suits and dressed in simple white clothes. Their hands were tied behind their backs and a pair of armed guards were watching over them.

"Shut up," said one of the guards, sounding irritated and plenty ready to pull the trigger to alleviate some frustration.

A man entered the room then. He wasn't wearing a uniform, like the others. Rather, he was wearing a dark trenchcoat and pants. But there was something about him that Saul found familiar. But he couldn't figure out what it was.

"More kids," said the man. "You'd think that they would have entrusted those stolen mobile suits to people that were older and more experienced."

"You seem familiar," said Saul.

"I could say the same about you," said the man. "Wait. What's your name?"

"Saul Kessel."

The man started to laugh.

"You're Diana Kessel's little brother?!" he gasped out between laughs. "The one she's always complaining about? Yes, now I recognized you. You're the lazy slacker."

"_Hacker_," said Saul. "I'm a lazy _hacker_. What about it?"

"Nothing," said the man, shaking his head. "Anyways, trust me, you probably don't recognize me for myself. Heh."

Saul stared at the man. There was something familiar about him, but he just couldn't place it.

"Just who the hell are you?" demanded Saul, finally giving up.

"Victor Cain, formerly of ZAFT's Alaric Team," said the man, throwing a somewhat mock ZAFT salute, but lowering his arm quickly. "Now, a mercenary in the employ of the _Archangel_'s crew, or, more specifically I think, its mobile wing commander. Course, thanks to you guys, she's now missing, and I'll be _very_ displeased if this ruins my contract and pay."

"Alaric Team? But that means…" said Saul.

"You're a Coordinator. Why are you fighting with the Earth Forces?" asked Dearka.

"I have my reasons," he said. "None of which I have to explain to you two."

"Does my sister know that you're a traitor?" asked Saul.

"Not at all," said Victor. "And I'm not a traitor, either, just a merc right now. John's well aware of my current profession, if not my current specific employ…"

Cain shook his head and turned to the two guards.

"The captain wants us to take them to the infirmary so the doctor can check them over before they're put in the brig," he said.

A few minutes later, the five of them were walking down the halls towards the infirmary.

"What the—? Sai? Miriallia?" gasped Dearka in shock as they approached a group of crewmembers. His words caused everyone to pause in surprise. Miriallia looked at the two of them with unconcealed tears.

"Hey, I dunno know what's up," said Dearka, shaking his head as the soldiers began moving them again. "I don't even know why you're here. But it seems to me that Saul and I are the ones that should be crying."

"Well, you should be crying," said Saul. "You can't comfort an obviously sad girl you never expected to see again and can't even pilot a mobile suit right. What kind of Redcoat gets shot down by a single fighter?"

"Hey! That was no ordinary fighter!" said Dearka defensively, momentarily forgetting about Miriallia, just as Saul had hoped.

"Excuses, excuses," said Saul as they continued down the hall.

* * *

Aboard an Orb Transport Place

The next day

Athrun slowly opened his eyes. Sunlight was shining through the window onto his face. He slowly sat up, and groaned from the pain of his injuries.

"I see you're awake," said a familiar voice.

Athrun turned his head. It was Cagalli, pointing a gun at him.

"At the moment, you're aboard an Orb aircraft," she said, moving closer to the bed. "We decided to take you in after we found you lying on the beach."

"What does a neutral nation like Orb want with me?" asked Athrun. "Or am I in the hands of the Earth Forces now?"

"There's something I have to know," said Cagalli, ignoring Athrun's previous words. "Were you the one who destroyed the Strike?"

Athrun bowed his head, unable to look her in the eye.

"Yes…" he said quietly. "That was me."

"What happened to the pilot?" asked Cagalli desperately. "We couldn't find him anywhere. Did he eject, like you?"

"He's dead," said Athrun, smiling bitterly. "Because I killed him…"

Cagalli's eyes widened as the arm holding the gun began to shake.

"It's true…" said Athrun, still smiling bitterly. "I grabbed the Strike with my Aegis and then self-destructed. I don't see how he could've escaped."

Cagalli rushed forward and grabbed him by the collar, forcing him back on his bed and jamming her gun under his chin.

"It was the only option I had left," said Athrun simply, finally meeting Cagalli's eyes, both sets looking hollow and devoid of any life besides emotional pain. Tears slid down Athrun's face, and Cagalli pulled him up before slamming him down again, looking ready to shoot him. She didn't, however, and instead let go of him.

"DAMN IT!" she screamed as she punched a wall while her own tears formed. Behind her, Athrun sat back up.

"But why am I still alive?" he asked, more to himself than to Cagalli. "I must have gotten out just in time." Cagalli spun around and pointed the gun at Athrun again, who's features again twisted into that bitter smile. "Or maybe you're the one destined to kill me."

"Kira…" said Cagalli. "Kira… took too many risks and didn't always know what he was doing and always cried… but he was kind! He was a nice guy!"

The bitter smile became tinged with sadness as Athrun slouched back slightly.

"Yeah, I know," he said. "Sounds like Kira hasn't changed one bit. He was always like that."

Cagalli gasped. "Did you…?"

"He was a sentimental crybaby and he was smart but never thought things through," said Athrun softly.

"You really knew Kira?" whispered Cagalli, barely loud enough for him to hear.

"Yes… we were close," said Athrun. "We were friends ever since we were children. We were the best of friends."

"But then… that's crazy!" said Cagalli, grabbing his collar. "If you were such great friends, then why did you kill him?!"

"I don't… I have no idea why either!" Athrun shouted back as his tears returned.

"We separated as friends and the next time I saw him, we were enemies!" shouted Athrun. "I asked him to come with us, over and over. He was a Coordinator! Don't you see?! He was one of us! He didn't belong with the Earth Forces! But he wouldn't listen! He fought against us, even hurting friends of mine! And then he killed Nicol!"

"So that's why you killed Kira? Your friend?" said Cagalli.

"He was an enemy!" said Athrun. "I had no other choice but to kill him!" At this point, Athrun was trying more to rationalize it in his own mind than defend his actions from Cagalli.

"You idiot! How could you have come up with something so stupid?!" demanded Cagalli. "How could you do something so terrible?!"

"He killed Nicol!" shouted Athrun. "He was fifteen! He loved to play the piano! He only fought to protect the PLANTs! And Kira murdered him!"

"Kira was only fighting to protect the people he cared about too!" retorted Cagalli furiously. "He didn't deserve to be killed! And by his best friend of all people!"

Athrun didn't say anything, but a fresh set of tears rolled down his face.

"Someone's killed for killing another! Then that guy is killed for killing him! How is that twisted thinking ever going to bring peace?!" demanded Cagalli, crying.

Cagalli held on to Athrun and leaned her head onto his shoulder. Suddenly, the door opened and an old man in an Orb Military uniform entered the room.

"Sorry to interrupt," said the man. "But we received word from the team that recovered the remains of the Blitz. There were no remains within the cockpit. Likely the pilot survived and was captured by the _Archangel_. I figured that he would want to know."

The news hit Athrun like a ton of bricks. Nicol was alive… He was alive… Then he had killed Kira over nothing… He had killed his best friend for nothing… absolutely nothing…

"What… What have I done…" whispered Athrun.

Cagalli looked over her shoulder at him, expression cold.

_Good_, she thought. Cruel as it was, Athrun deserved this. The futility of revenge had been made apparent to Cagalli, and it was about the only thing that had stopped from pulling the trigger when she held the gun to the ZAFT ace's chin. She looked back at Kisaka.

"What about the other pilot we found?" she asked. Kisaka shook his head.

"I'm amazed he survived that," said Kisaka. "His pilot suit almost certainly saved his life, but he's slipped into a coma. We can't be sure if he'll ever wake up, or if there's any real hope of recovery should he do so."

"I see," said Cagalli. "What about Makoto and the Dauntless? Any sign of them?"

Kisaka hesitated, worrying Cagalli.

"Yes," he said at last. "The Dauntless—what's left of it—is scattered about the island and the surrounding ocean. We've set out to recover what we can, but…"

"And Makoto?" demanded Cagalli, the earlier note of desperation reentering her voice.

"Most of the cockpit seems to have been destroyed," said Kisaka. "What little we did find had hair, skin tissue, blood, and bits of an Earth Forces uniform melted into it. We did a scan. It all matches Makoto. It seems that her body was burned to ashes, along with most of the cockpit."

"No…" breathed Cagalli, stepping back and falling to her knees. Not just Kira, but Makoto too? "How could this…?"

Suddenly, Cagalli spun on Athrun again, grabbing his collar.

"What happened?!" she shouted.

"Cagalli!" exclaimed Kisaka, but the blonde ignored him.

"Tell me! Do you know what happened to the Dauntless?!"

"No…" said Athrun weakly. "The last I saw it, it was fighting Erik… the Resolute."

Cagalli released Athrun and spun on Kisaka, who was already shaking his head.

"We found every part of the Resolute but its cockpit in the ocean, just off shore," he said. "Along with most of the Dauntless's weapons. As near as we can tell, it was quite literally cut apart by the Dauntless."

"Then what happened?" asked Cagalli, not really expecting an answer.

"I don't know," said Kisaka. "But an examination of the wreckage did show something interesting about the remains of the Dauntless."

"What was it?" asked Cagalli.

"We compared it with the other machines," said Kisaka. "The Dauntless was falling apart at the time of its destruction. The entire frame appears to have been saturated with microfractures."

"What? How is that possible?"

* * *

The _Archangel_

Later That Night

"Come on you guys! I'm begging you!" said Mu, trying to get the hanger crews to prepare his Skygrasper for launch.

"Don't be a fool," said Victor. "There's nothing you can do for them."

Mu ignored him and started loading extra supplies on his fighter.

"If you somehow manage to find them, just what then? ZAFT forces are likely still in the area," he said. "You'll be lucky to get to the island without being attacked."

"Commander!" Murrue called out, running towards them.

"At last, someone that can talk some sense into him," said Victor.

"Give the mechanics some time to rest," said Murrue.

"Have we received any word from Orb yet?" asked Mu.

"No, but—"

"Have we reached Alaska's air defense space?"

"Yes, but—"

"Then I'm going."

"I won't allow it," said Murrue.

"But what if they managed to get out in time?!" demanded Mu.

"And I would be the first to volunteer to go out and search for him," said Murrue. "But right now, that's impossible, and given the current situation, I cannot permit you to go out alone either."

Noting the change in Murrue's tone, Victor decided that this conversation was no longer for him to be a part of, and he quietly left the two.

"Commander, if you didn't come back and we lost you too… I don't know…" she said, her eyes watering. "Have faith. Pray for Kira and Makoto. And stay here."

Mu sighed, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Understood."

* * *

The Brig

Nicol sat quietly on the floor of his cell, writing another musical piece. Chris was a lifesaver. If he hadn't managed to bring him paper and a pencil, he probably wouldn't have lasted another day before losing it. At least now he could do something to kill time. Chris had also been the one to bring him his meals and would usually stay and talk for a while.

His stomach growled, loudly. Nicol hadn't eaten anything since yesterdays breakfast. There had been a battle shortly after he had been given his breakfast and no one had stopped by his cell since the battle ended.

Suddenly, the brig door opened. Nicol looked up, setting aside the pencil and paper. Makoto had voiced full approval, and according to Chris, no one had objected, so long as he didn't try anything, so he didn't have to go out of his way to hide what he was doing.

A weary looking Chris, holding a food tray, stepped in front of the cell doors. Nicol could tell immediately that something bad had happened just from looking at him.

"Sorry about forgetting to bring you food," said Chris. "I… there's been a lot going on." He slid the food tray through the slot. "Flay and I have been looking after Liz since yesterday."

Nicol grabbed the tray and began eating with gusto. While he was somewhat concerned, at the moment, the needs of his stomach consumed just about all else.

"The Buster and Surge were captured in the last battle," said Chris.

_That_, gave Nicol pause. For Chris, at least, that should've been a good thing, but then again, he might be depressed because…

"Saul and Dearka," gasped Nicol. "Are they—?"

"They're fine," said Chris. "Actually… they should've been moved into their own cells hours ago. I think I better go ask someone about that." Chris turned and started heading for the door.

"Wait!" Nicol called out. "Was anyone else shot down? Why is Liz so…?"

"The Duel was damaged, but retreated," said Chris, pausing for a moment. "Same for the CGUE. The Aegis… the Aegis grabbed the Strike and self-destructed, catching the Dauntless in the explosion. We don't know what happened to any of them."

They were both silent for a moment before Chris finished.

"Athrun killed Tolle as well," said Chris before leaving without another word. Nicol, eyes wide in shock, slumped back in his cell.

* * *

A short while later

Chris sighed as he aimlessly wandered the halls. They had reached the safety of the Alaska Air Defense Zone and ZAFT had given up. Ordinarily, they'd have reached JOSH-A the next morning, but they'd already pushed the ship to its limits, and the Defense Zone was big. It'd take them at least a week, drifting in from where they were now. And then… well he didn't know what would happen when they got there.

Everyone was having a difficult time with Tolle's death and the disappearance of both Kira and Makoto. Chris had spent the day alone for the most part. Wandering the halls or just sitting somewhere. Flay had tried to comfort him along with Liz, but he just wanted to be left alone for now, so she'd focused herself entirely on his sister.

He turned a corner and came face to face with Sai as he left the infirmary. Neither he nor Flay had really spoken with Sai since it happened, not even at Makoto's birthday party. But he figured that maybe now would be the time to try to patch things up between them.

"Sai," he said.

"… Chris," said Sai as politely as he could.

"I'm sorry about everything," said Chris. "I never wanted or intended for what happened to happen. I just wanted to help Flay out with her grief over her father's death. But… well, you know what happened. Again, I'm sorry about this whole mess."

Sai opened his mouth. "I… I understand," said Sai. "I accept your apology… and I'm sorry about losing it back then."

"Thanks, Sai," said Chris softly, meaning the words, but his voice still sounded somewhat dead. His friendship with Sai was on the road to recovery, yet… was it worth it?

Was it worth everything they had lost?

No… nothing ever would be.

* * *

Infirmary

"Mir? Is that you?" came Dearka's voice as Sai left. Mir stifled a sob as she pulled back the curtains to the two beds to reveal Saul and Dearka on each of them. "Saul… filled me in."

Mir looked away.

"So… you figured it out?" she asked quietly, tears still evident in her voice.

"Yeah," said Saul. "We caught on a few days before your ship left Orb. Dearka and Yzak were still in the dark… they both had quite a temper on them."

"I still wish you'd told us," said Dearka before looking at Mir.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked her. "Why are you crying? Last I saw of the situation, aside from the damage to the ship, you guys were tearing us apart."

"… Tolle died," said Mir, her eyes shielded by her bangs. The two prisoners gasped in shock.

No… not Tolle… it reminded them far too much of Nicol. Both were far too nice, too friendly and kind-hearted… why did those two have to be the ones to die?

"… and both Kira and Makoto are missing," added Mir.

"Are you serious?" said Saul. "But I thought those two were the best you had…"

"They were," said Mir. "They were, damn it! Why couldn't you guys have just left us alone?! If it weren't for you! If it weren't for you…"

Mir trailed off, sobbing, and neither pilot knew what to say.

"I'm sorry," said Dearka softly. "Heh, I really am pathetic. Saul… how is it that we were so blind?"

"I don't know," said Saul as Sai, Chris, and the doctor entered the room. "I really don't know."

* * *

A Short While

After the episode with Mir, a pair of guards had been called in and were now escorting them to the brig. When they reached JOSH-A, they'd be sent to some POW camp until the war ended. Saul was _not_ looking forward to it.

"Saul! Dearka!" a voice called out from a cell as they entered the brig.

A very, very familiar voice. A voice that they shouldn't be hearing. The two ZAFT pilots turned to the first cell. Sitting on the bunk was… Nicol. Alive and well.

"N-Nicol… you're alive…" a speechless Dearka managed to say.

Saul started to laugh. "I don't believe it! How did you survive that?! You have got to be the luckiest guy in ZAFT!" he said as a grin spread across his face.

"Move it," said one of their escorts, jamming his gun into Saul's back.

"Okay. Okay. We're moving," said Saul. "Jeez. We just meet a friend that we thought was dead and you guys won't even let us talk to him."

"You two are going into the two cells next to his," said the man. "So it doesn't matter. We just want to get this over with and have a chance at a break. Things have been hard on everyone here since that last attack of yours."

The guards opened the second cell and put Saul in it, then placed Dearka in the third cell.

"How did you survive Nicol?" asked Deakra as the guards left. "I mean that explosion… We all thought that you were dead."

"Yeah. I'm surprised I survived myself," said Nicol. "I guess I was just lucky that the Strike's sword didn't hit the cockpit."

"I'll say," said Saul. "You got a rabbit's foot on you or something? Or maybe you got a four leaf clover hiding in that green hair of yours."

All three friends started laughing. And for that moment, the war didn't exist, nor were they soldiers. Instead, for that brief moment, they were a trio of teenage friends, laughing and joking around, forgetting all their worries and the lives that had been lost, if only for a brief moment.

* * *

Marshall Islands

The next day

"You're rescue crew will be here soon," said the brunette. Erik looked up from the book he'd been reading and nodded.

"Thanks Hotaru," he said.

Hotaru Aino gave a slight smile, nodding to the unconscious form on the bed next to Erik's chair.

"Will you be taking her with you?" she asked. Again, Erik nodded.

"I owe Makoto that much," he said. "If it weren't for me, I'm sure she'd still be alive."

Hotaru frowned slightly, but shook her head, turning her attention to the still form on the bed.

"Well, good luck out there," she said. "Oh, and don't make me come save your ass again, 'kay? I came to the Marshall Islands to try and live in peace where no one could find me, not to rescue random mobile suit pilots and the passengers of destroyed planes."

"I'll remember that," said Erik. The figure on the bed suddenly groaned and opened its uncovered left eye to reveal a shining silver orb.

* * *

Clyne Residence, PLANT Aprilius One

April 24th, C.E. 71

"We've got a problem!" said the infamous Mr. Pink, bouncing around in the backyard of the Clyne residence.

"Mr. Pink! Don't go there!" Lacus called out as the pink Haro entered the glass sunroom.

The Haro landed on the bed in the sunroom. Lacus followed after it and grabbed it from the bed before it could wake up the boy in the bed. There was a groan and the boy's eyes opened. "Oh. Good morning, Sleepy Head," said Lacus cheerfully, her concern already vented fully back on Earth.

Amethyst eyes blinked a few times.

"Lacus?" breathed Kira.

* * *

**Author's Note: I've had a lot of internal speculation on just what Makoto's death will mean to the characters in the long run. For instance, how would Kira and the rest of the _Archangel_ crew honor her memory in the future? How would the soldiers of Orb honor the loss of the princess of their most ancient house during the battle with the Earth Forces who would gleefully tarnish her memory? Makoto stood for a lot of what was dear to the people of Orb. Even as she fought, she fought in the memory of her parents, and for the protection of those dear to her. Despite her love for mobile suits, she was a strong believer in peace. She was someone who stood by her friends, loved ones, and her ideals and morals right to the bitter end, even continuing to spare Erik, despite the fact that he could very easily be blamed for the tragedies of the last chapter. After all, if he weren't around, how much more do you think Makoto could've done? And then, against all odds, with her machine literally beginning to collapse around her, she still tried to save Kira from the destruction of the Aegis. While some people felt she was too perfect or had too much focus, this is a character that I can't help but love. Makoto took on a life of her own, and it's one that everyone has come to enjoy in one way or another. So maybe she did seem too perfect--at the end of the day, that's simply who she is.**

**Despite everything that's transpired, there's still a lot of mystery in the air: what is "Divinity"? How is it that the Dauntless was already falling apart when she cut Kira free? Why was her activation of the SEED so different from everyone else? Why did it cast multiple colors (pay attention the descriptions I use for the SEED activations)? Why did her eyes appear faceted? How is it that Erik went from being outclassed by Makoto to outclassing her and everyone else before she activated the SEED? Then, there's a question I know is burning at people at the moment: who is Hotaru Aino and who is this silver-eyed person she and Erik rescued?**

**Edit: Most of the reviewers so far seem to have missed a part of the conversation between Hotaru and Erik: the part about wrecked planes? To me, that sounds like this silver-eyed girl was pulled from plane wreckage, not from mobile suit wreckage. Also, Makoto's eyes were green, not silver, remember? People seem to be disregarding this stuff, and simply assuming Makoto somehow survived what is pretty much the same thing that killed Flay in canon. Also, I wonder if anyone has realized where I've drawn the names of a number of several female characters from?  
**

**Well... you'll have to stick around to find out! Now please review!**

**Ja ne!**


	21. Phase 20: Sword of an Angel

**Edit: I changed the title of this chapter from "The Gathering Darkness" to something that I felt was more appropriate. I hope everyone likes it!**

**Now... now we're getting somewhere. In this chapter, I again start seriously using a mix of scenes from Akatsuki Leader13's original _Gundam SEED: A Retelling_, and scenes of my own. This is also another long chapter, nearly 20 pages in length on Microsoft Word. We feature the return of the Alaric Team as well, and a surprise appearance from a character that just doesn't get enough support from the canon if you ask me.**

**Additionally, events shown in this chapter are radically reordered in order to properly follow the timeline. For instance, the Battle of JOSH-A won't begin till next chapter, and even as I write this, five new e-mails came in simultaneously... oh wait, that's off-subject. Anyways, because of the last minute change in target, forces in position to immediately assault Panama were forced to move to positions for the Alaska assault. Add in a measure of surprise and confusion, and the attack itself began three days after the order was given. It was a large force they were moving, after all.**

**Liz, sadly, does not do much here at all. She's mostly just background, still emotionally crippled by Makoto's death. We also get a brief taste of what's to come in the future, including some rather blatant foreshadowing.**

**As a final note, this chapter is for Kira x Lacus lovers.**

**Standard disclaimers apply, I'm lazy.  
**

* * *

Phase Twenty: Sword of an Angel

April 19th, C.E. 71

* * *

Marshall Islands

Athrun fingered the Haumea Amulet Cagalli had given him as the boat moved him from the Orb aircraft to the ZAFT VTOL that had come to pick him up.

"Bastard," said Yzak. "You dare to show your face again?"

Erik glanced at Yzak—Athrun was amazed that he'd survived, given the description of what had happened to the Resolute—and reached out a hand to help Athrun into the VTOL. Yzak also helped, and it was obvious that he was worried about Athrun, even if he didn't show it verbally.

"I destroyed the Strike, like I promised," said Athrun softly. Yzak looked after Athrun as he and Erik walked away, and gave a slight smile.

The VTOL, while much smaller than the Orb plane, still included a infirmary, since they were primarily used for search and rescue operations, and that's where Erik led Athrun. As the door opened and they stepped through, Athrun gasped.

Lying on one of the beds of the infirmary was an unconscious female form, and it was obvious even with the blanket that she was covered only in bandages. Her arms were almost completely wrapped up, what was visible of her torso was wrapped in bandages, and most of her face and hair were also covered, with her mouth and left eye being about the only places that didn't have bandages. Athrun glanced questioningly at Erik.

"After your little stunt destroyed the Dauntless and Strike, I hid myself away," said Erik. "She floated ashore a little while later, and when I searched the area, I found some debris along the seabed. I saw what I believe was a black box, so I assume it was plane wreckage, probably accidentally shot down during the battle. Not long after, we were found by someone living in the islands, who contacted ZAFT for me. I decided to bring her along."

"Has she woken up?" asked Athrun. "And are you sure it isn't…?"

"I'm sure," said Erik, knowing what Athrun was about to ask. "I don't think anyone has enough luck to survive what you did to the Dauntless, and there was no pilot suit, just some tattered, burned clothes. That's what those bandages are covering. And, yes, she woke up, briefly, a few hours ago. I asked her name, but she barely even managed to groan out her first name, let alone her last. I barely even heard that much."

"What's her name?" asked Athrun as he sat down on the other bed.

"Well, it was just further proof that she isn't Makoto," said Erik. "She has silver eyes, too, not like Makoto's. Her name's Michiru."

* * *

Hotaru's House

Hotaru Aino watched the ZAFT and Orb aircrafts leave the islands, hopefully never to return, and walked back into her living room. She looked at a picture hanging in the center of an impressive collection of photos. This one, the largest of her collection, showed everyone who was present in the other pictures. She frowned as she looked at the picture. There were smiles of triumph, joy, and love present on the faces of the adults, though there was still and underlying sense of grief and pain, while the six baby's held in the arms of various adults had a look of innocence about them.

Those babies were the only ones who didn't have individual pictures, though a picture of two of them held in the arms of a violet-eyed brunette was present. She'd had these pictures for a long time now, but still understood little about them, beyond the names attached.

It was one of those names that really drew her attention. Hotaru reached into her pocket and grabbed hold of the chain necklace within. She'd pulled it off of that girl she'd found with Erik. He hadn't seen it, desperate as he'd been to keep that girl alive to pay off the debt to Makoto Arata that he felt hadn't been paid.

Hotaru smiled tightly. Oh yes, Makoto would definitely say he'd repaid that debt, as would her parents that Erik apparently killed.

Of that, Hotaru had no doubt as she hung the necklace off the portrait of a green-eyed black-haired woman holding a red-haired baby, with a man a few inches taller than her standing next to her, smiling down at the baby that had his same red hair.

* * *

Clyne Residence, PLANT Aprilius City

April 24th, C.E. 71

"Lacus?" breathed Kira. "Wha-? Where am I?"

"There will be time for that later," she replied.

"No problem!" chirped Haro, jumping from Lacus's hands and back onto the bed next to Kira. "No problem!"

"So, has our sleeper awakened?" asked a raven-haired man as he entered the sunroom from the garden. Lacus glanced at the man before responding.

"Yes, Reverend Malchio," she said.

"You must be surprised, waking up here," said the blind reverend. "Miss Lacus was insistent that we bring your bed out here."

"Perhaps because it feels better to be outside than inside, don't you think?" said Lacus.

Kira glanced at his surroundings weakly, noticing how unfamiliar everything was.

"How did I get here?" he asked.

"You collapsed after wandering into my garden," answered Malchio. "Lacus and I were preparing to come here, to her home for the purpose of establishing a ceasefire. You were injured and in need of assistance, so, of course, we brought you with us."

Suddenly, as if a dense fog in his mind had instantly cleared away, memories of what happened came flooding back to him: his vicious battle with Athrun, Athrun killing Tolle. The Aegis, grabbing onto the Strike and self-destructing just as the Dauntless them apart. A momentary glimpse through the fire of the Dauntless disintegrating. The memories kept pouring back like being hit by a ton of bricks. Kira's breathing became labored as he started to sweat.

"What's wrong Kira?" asked Lacus, moving to his side and making no effort at all too conceal her worry.

Despite all the horrible images, especially that one of the Dauntless, there was something that Kira didn't understand.

"But… why… why am I…" he said.

"Because you possess the SEED," said Malchio. "That is why."

Kira shot up, clutching the blanket, gasping for air.

"_There's this… I don't know how to describe it… a 'light', I guess you could say, within you, Kira."_

"Kira!" said Lacus as she leaned over him, trying to see what was wrong.

"There's a problem!" chirped Haro.

Tears poured down Kira's face. He was in pain. Physically, mentally and emotionally. Lacus reached out and held one of his hands to comfort him. "I… fought Athrun…" he said. "I… I couldn't have survived…"

"Kira…" said Lacus, trying to comfort the boy, before his next words struck her.

"And why her? Why should Makoto have died?!" cried Kira. Athrun, Tolle, Makoto… it was too much. Why? WHY?!

* * *

An Hour Later

Kira sat in his bed, thinking about everything that had happened. He wondered about everyone else on the aboard _Archangel_. He knew Tolle was gone, and was almost as certain that Makoto was, but did everyone else make it out alive? Had they made it to Alaska? Or… well, he didn't want to think about that.

"It was inevitable, I guess," Kira spoke out as Lacus placed a cup of tea on the small table next to the bed. "Because he thought I killed his friend, he killed my friend. And that's why…"

"So you tried to kill Athrun with all your might and he tried to do the same to you," finished Lacus. "None of that could be helped, now could it?"

Kira glanced at her. "Because that's war," she continued. "And you were both fighting against the enemy. Am I mistaken?"

No, she wasn't. And as much as Kira hated to admit it, he and Athrun had gone from best friends to mortal enemies all because of this stupid and meaningless war.

But why were Tolle and Makoto the ones to pay the price for that?

* * *

Chamber of the PLANT Supreme Council, Aprilius One

May 1st, C.E. 71

"Olbani's Compromise Plan? What's the point in bringing something like this to the table now?" said Patrick, who'd been elected Supreme Council Chairman a month ago. "Operation Spitbreak will proceed as planned."

"I'm certainly not saying that we accept it as is," said Siegel. "But if we proceed with the Operation, there is no doubt that we will suffer casualties going into battle. We have a chance to avoid that. Shouldn't we at least make the attempt?"

"You raise a valid point," said Ezalia. "But you can't expect us to agree to these ridiculous demands. They're acting like they've won the war."

"Nevertheless, we can use this to call for a temporary ceasefire and return to the negotiating table," said Ian. "It would give the men and women actually fighting this war a chance to rest, and it could actually end the war peacefully. We owe it to everyone that's fighting in this war, to their families and those that have been lost, on both sides, to try."

Many in the Council were still surprised by Ian's steadfast determination. His son had been declared missing in action, likely dead. Yet, unlike Tad Elsman, whose son was also missing, and Yuri Amalfi, whose son had been killed, who had slipped into the background of the Council, Ian was still just as strong and as determined as he always was.

Much to the annoyance of Patrick Zala.

"This is only their crude way of buying time," said Maxwell.

"Of course," said Ian. "They know we're going to launch a massive operation soon. But truthfully, it's unlikely that they could fortify Panama any further without dangerously weakening other important bases. And I don't think Operation Spitbreak will be a success in the long run. I've been looking at the numbers and estimates for the Operation, as well as the latest troop estimate at Panama. And frankly, this Operation could be damaging for us in the long run."

"It's obvious to anyone with half a brain that the best target for us to hit is Panama," continued Ian. "The loss of Panama would cripple their space forces. But the number of the troops at Panama will guarantee at least a loss of forty to forty-five percent of our forces. Our holdings on Earth will be critically weakened afterwards and the Earth Forces could likely take back much of what they've gained. If you go through with this with any hope of succeeding, Chairman Zala, you'll need a very big ace hidden up your sleeve. You have no such ace, though, unless you've hidden it from the Council. This is why I voted against Operation Spitbreak."

Patrick Zala scowled. The bastard was trying to ruin everything! If he revealed Operation Spitbreak's true target, Clyne's supporters would try to stop it because they never voted on an attack on JOSH-A. The weak fools didn't realize anything! Hacking off the limbs of a beast will only weaken it. You have to cut off the head of the beast to kill it.

Worse, the more they delayed, the greater the chance that the Earth Forces may get wind of his plan, ruining everything.

"No. I have not kept anything important from the Council," he said calmly. "You are underestimating our forces and overestimating the strength of the Earth Forces. Operation Spitbreak will be a major success and help bring a quick end to the war. And there is no reason to consider Olbani's proposal at this point. Operation Spitbreak will go ahead as planned."

"Arrogance in war, only leads to disaster," said Ian. "You might wish to remember that Zala. For if Spitbreak fails, it will be those fighting this war that will suffer for it, not us."

* * *

The Office of Ian Kessel

An Hour and a Half Later

Ian sighed as he sat down at his desk, letting his fatigue show. He glanced at the framed pictures on his desk. Pictures of his wife and children. His eyes lingered on a picture of his son.

Missing, presumed dead. That's what they had listed him as.

He never should have pushed him as hard as he did. He wished he had told Saul how proud he had been of him.

_BEEP BEEP_

He sighed as his mask returned. "Yes?"

"_Sorry to bother you sir. But we just received a communication from Deputy Commander Kessel. Shall I patch it through?_"

"Yes," said Ian, straightening up fully. "And make sure that it's completely secure."

Diana's face appeared on the screen in his desk. "_Father,_" she said with nod. "Has there been any word?"

"No," said Ian, allowing some hint of sadness to show. "They haven't found any trace of him."

There was a slight frown on her face. Most people wouldn't have noticed it. But he knew his daughter. She was a woman skilled at keeping her emotions from showing. That frown spoke volumes on how she was feeling.

"_I see. What about Operation Spitbreak?_"

"It's still on," said Ian, concealing an angry scowl. "What do you think of Zala's plan? I know he's asked for the Alaric Team to be with the first assault wave."

"_It's risky,_" she said. "_Zala thinks that Earth Forces can't possibly beat us. His arrogance and false sense of invincibility will get good men and women killed. And Ajay has a bad feeling about the Operation._"

"And you trust his gut?" asked Ian.

"_After Endymion, there's not a single person amongst us that wouldn't,_" said Diana without a hint of hesitation.

Ian chuckled. "Trusting someone's feelings over logic? That's not like you."

"_Don't ask me how, but somehow, he is able to tell when something bad is going to happen,_" said Diana. "_None of us doubt his sixth sense for danger._"

"That reminds of paper I read some time ago about a theory of the next step of human evolution," said Ian mildly.

"_You mean the SEED Factor?_"

"No," said Ian. "But as I understand it, the doctor who wrote on the SEED Factor had worked closely with them. It was their last paper a few years ago, before they died. It was of an apparently entirely separate phenomenon. They claimed that people could possess unusual mental abilities. Among them, a sixth sense for these kind of things. They even claimed that, while 0.001 percent of the human population was born with these abilities, an estimated one percent could develop these abilities given the right circumstances. _And_, they claimed that those numbers were rising with each generation. They claimed these people were latest step in humanity's evolution towards becoming a new type of being and weren't dependent on being Coordinator or Natural. In fact, they dubbed those people Newtypes."

"_Interesting. I'll have to take look at that,_" said Diana.

"Indeed," said Ian. "But we're getting off topic. If you fear the Operation, what will the team do?"

"_I think Commander Alaric believes we'll be delayed due to mechanical problems,_" said Diana. "_It happens from time to time with all the upgrades we give to our mobile suits and ships. We'll probably have to call the Junk Guild for some assistance._"

"For the life of me, I'll never understand how John managed to create that private arrangement you have with them," said Ian.

"_He promised them access to any new ZAFT technology he got his hands on._"

"Speaking of new technology," said Ian thoughtfully. "Our new Chairman has revealed our newest, greatest weapons. New mobile suits using technology obtained from the stolen Earth Forces mobile suits. He hasn't explained how, but apparently, they suffer none of the restrictions of any current mobile suit."

"_You mean there's no operational time limit?_" asked Diana.

"That's what Zala claims, but he's tightlipped about how," said Ian. "I just hope it's not nuclear power. If such technology got out, I don't know if there would be any way to avert genocide."

"_Anything else?_"

"They're each built to be able to fight entire armies and defend or capture fortresses single-handed," said Ian. "Eight of them, in total. One of them is already finished, three more will be done in the next week or two, another two within a month after that, and the last two have been put on the backburner. Something about not being as effective on Earth as the first four and less useful at the moment then the other two."

"_Thank you for telling me,_" said Diana. "_I'll keep that in mind._"

* * *

JOSH-A

The Next Morning

"The _Archangel_. I never thought it would make it here," said Colonel Moore as they watched the video feed of the _Archangel_ entering JOSH-A.

"You think maybe Halberton's force of will protected it?" said Vice Admiral Michaels jokingly.

"Those young Coordinators were the ones who really protected it," said another one through grit teeth.

"Captain Sutherland, don't be so sure of that," said Captain Oswald. "Luckily, the destruction of the Strike and Dauntless and the declaration of their pilots as MIA can be considered a… fortunate accident for us. A shame the same fate couldn't have befallen the Raven and Guardian as well."

"The GAT series is going to be our main weapon," said Sutherland. "We're going to get a lot of use out of them in the future. And we don't want people saying they were operated by Coordinator children."

"You're right about that," said Moore.

Michaels hit the table with his fists. "It just seems like glaring evidence of our own inferiority!"

Sutherland pushed a button on his console, unable to conceal a minuscule smile at what was shown. The screen displayed the schematics of the GAT-X131 Calamity, the GAT-X135 Deliverance, the GAT-X150 Supremacy, the GAT-X160 Relentless, the GAT-X252 Forbidden, the GAT-X264 Twilight, and the GAT-X370 Raider.

"All of the technology of those machines has already been transferred and furthered developed," said Sutherland. "And this time, it is _we_ who will benefit from it."

"What have you told Azreal?" asked Oswald.

"I told him that we'd take all the necessary steps to address these problems," said Sutherland. "This was all an unfortunate situation. Just like what is going to happen here. All of this is for the preservation of our blue and pure world."

* * *

Carpentaria Base

A few hours later

Athrun stared out the window as ZAFT crews were rushing throughout the base to prepare for Operation Spitbreak. After more than ten days spent resting, his only remaining injury was his broken arm, but he'd still been told to take it easy.

Michiru, on the other hand, had not recovered nearly as well. But then, her injuries had been far more severe than Athrun's. When they'd actually gotten a real examination done, they found that, besides more than eighty percent of her body being covered in burns, both her legs were broken along with her left arm and right wrist, she would almost certainly be forever half-blind in her right eye, and would take the better part of a month to be able to really move again. Athrun only had scattered reports from Erik about her condition, as the former Resolute pilot was watching her like a hawk the times that he wasn't busy practicing piloting a standard ZAFT mobile suit.

"It's Le Creuset. I'm coming in," came a voice suddenly, and Athrun straightened up and turned back to face the door as his commander stepped through. He moved to salute, but Rau motioned for him to stop.

"You're still injured," said Rau. "Don't even think of getting up."

"I'm terribly sorry, sir," said Athrun quietly.

"Nonsense," said Rau. "You were splendid. I heard about everything."

"Splendid?" questioned Athrun. As far as he was concerned, there was nothing splendid about what he had done.

"I should be the one apologizing for not getting you help sooner," said Rau. "The sacrifices made were significant, and with a little more support, it might've been possible to avoid them. But dwelling on that can help anything. It is a testament to how formidable your friend really was."

A fresh wave of guilt hit Athrun.

"I know it's been a difficult series of battles for you," said Rau. "Miguel, Nicol, Commander Waltfeld, Commander Morassim. They and many others have lost their lives to him, and many more have lost their lives to the Dauntless pilot. Since you are the one to defeat him and destroy the Dauntless, your skills are highly valued by the homeland. The decision has been made to honor you with the Order of the Nebula."

Athrun looked away in shame. He didn't deserve a medal as far as he was concerned. He'd murdered two good people in a blind rage over something that didn't really happen.

A knock on the door drew their attention, and a few seconds later, the door was opened to admit Erik.

"Ah, Erik, you made it," said Rau, who'd requested Erik's presence in Athrun's room. "I've just informed Athrun that he's been awarded ZAFT's highest honors. And the same award has been extended to you."

Athrun and Erik both blinked in surprise.

"Me? The Order of the Nebula?" questioned Erik. "Why? I lost the Resolute, and in the end, I wasn't able to take down even one machine."

"Well, Zane wasn't keen to report much on what had happened beyond the severe damage to the legged ship and the destruction of the Strike," said Rau. "But Yzak was willing to share what details he could, and both your report and Athrun's have been studied. While it's true that you didn't take out any of the enemy machines directly, there is little doubt that your efforts contributed greatly to Athrun's own. Were it not for you, it seems likely that both machines would've escaped destruction."

Erik looked away. A medal for having his machine systematically dissected. He'd never understand the thinking of the people up top.

"Also, much to my regret, both of you have been transferred to the Special Forces reporting directly to the National Defense Committee," continued Rau.

Both pilots looked at their commander in shock.

"Transferred? But Commander—" started Athrun.

"You're top guns now, both of you," said Rau. "You are to be the pilot of our latest mobile suits. You've been instructed to return to the homeland to receive the new machines."

"But sir! This is too much! I—" started Athrun again.

"Your father is now the Chairman of the PLANT Supreme Council," interrupted Rau. "But you already knew that.

"Yes," said Athrun simply.

"Chairman Zala has been pushing for a quick end to this war," said Rau, putting a hand on Athrun's shoulder. "Personally, I would like nothing more than for this war to end. For that reason, I want you to do whatever you can to bring this war to a quick end."

"I understand sir," said Athrun. "But there's something else."

"Yes?"

"When I was on the Orb vessel, they said that they recovered the remains of the Blitz, but they didn't find any sign of a body. Nicol could still be alive," said Athrun. Erik's eyes widened in shock. They'd generally avoided speaking of their fallen comrades, so Athrun had never mentioned this to him.

"I see," said Rau evenly. "But that isn't enough to change his status to MIA."

"But Commander! What if he's still alive?!" asked Athrun.

"And what if he isn't?" retorted Rau. "His family is still grieving over his loss. If you gave them that hope, only to later take it from them, the pain they feel now will pale compared to that pain. Do you really want them to feel that?"

"He's right Athrun," said Erik softly. "Well, hopefully, our new position will give us a chance to learn more. Excuse me." Erik saluted and turned for the door.

"Erik, will you be taking that girl with you?" asked Rau. Athrun glanced over. He hadn't realized Michiru was well enough to seriously travel, especially to space.

"Yes," said Erik. "I'll look after her for as long as I can. To repay a debt that I can never repay." With that, Erik left, Rau nodding almost approvingly at the back of the ZAFT redcoat.

* * *

A Small Town

Outside the Carpentaria Base

"I understand that it's warming up in Alaska."

"Indeed. But its only going to get hotter," replied the man.

He shrugged. "How's Josh?"

"He's good. He's almost finished moving. And that reminds me. Mr. Angel gave me something to give to you," said the man, reaching into his pocket and handing him a disk.

"Thank you," said Zane with a grin as he took the disk. "I'm sure that this will be quite helpful.

* * *

Carpentaria

Athrun placed Nicol's music sheets into his suitcase and then closed it. He walked out of the room, heading for his waiting craft. As he stepped into the hallway, he was surprised to find Yzak waiting there for him.

Athrun smiled and nodded at his friend.

"Don't worry. My turn will come," said Yzak. "Though how could they pick someone like you or Saharin for the Special Forces?"

Athrun set down his suitcase and extended his uninjured hand. "Sorry about how things turned out. Thanks for your help."

The two shook hands, finally putting the conflict that had begun when this whole mess got started behind them.

"Goodbye," said Athrun before heading down the hall.

"Next time, I'll be the one in charge," said Yzak. "Don't get killed until then, okay?"

Athrun turned his head back. "You got it Yzak," he said. "Just make sure you're alive for that as well."

* * *

Elsewhere

Erik pushed the wheelchair-bound Michiru out to the waiting aircraft. With no mobile suits of their own, he and Athrun would be taking the same transport.

"You haven't said a thing since you first woke up back on the islands," commented Erik. "I know you're perfectly capable. Why so quiet, Michiru?"

Michiru shifted, almost uncomfortably, and turned her head—her neck being perhaps the least injured part of her body—to look at Erik with her shining silver eye that caused virtually anyone who looked into it to shiver. It was like the girl was piercing deep into your soul with that eye. Erik almost pointedly avoided direct eye contact.

"Thank you," said Michiru, almost too softly for Erik to hear. "For giving me a second chance. And I'm sorry."

Erik stared at Michiru, confused. What was she saying sorry for?

* * *

JOSH-A

Three days later

Murrue, Nartarle, the rest of the senior bridge crew, Chief Murdoch, Mu, Chris and Liz all sat in a group of chairs in the center of the room. Three days of waiting, and all they'd gotten was a call for an investigative hearing. If it hadn't been for the fact that all pilots had been ordered to be present—with the exception of Victor—Chris would've forced Liz to stay on the ship. Mir was still in bad shape, but it seemed like nothing next to Liz. No one could look at her and see Liz anymore. She seemed like nothing more than an empty shell with soulless, dead eyes that seemed to have turned grey from their former vibrant green.

A trio of officers entered the room. Everyone stood up and saluted, though more than a few noted how mechanical Liz's movements were. The officers returned the salute.

"I am Captain William Sutherland of the General Staff," said the lead officer as he took his seat. "I've been put in charge of all instructions and deliberations regarding the Eight Fleet's _Archangel_. Please be seated."

"We've already retrieved the logs from the NavComm and are analyzing them as we speak," continued Sutherland after everyone had sat down. "I must say Captain Ramius, your vessel's combat record is impressive. And now I would like you to give us a detailed report and testimony on the preceding events. This hearing is being run according to the military regulations for a court marshal. And in keeping with procedure, anything said here will be entered into the records. I trust you will all tell the truth."

* * *

Carpentaria Dock, Aboard the _Cousteau_

Two Hours Later

Both Zane and Yzak left their quarters, heading for the briefing room. Commander Le Creuset was going to brief them on Operation Spitbreak before the _Cousteau_ left Carpentaria. They rounded a corner, coming face to face with a violet-eyed brunette in a ZAFT redcoat uniform. Upon seeing them, she smirked.

"Yzak, Scirocco," she said evenly, saluting them. They two returned the salute.

"Hōsenka," said Yzak, nodding slightly. "You one of the replacement pilots?"

"No, I'm the _only_ replacement pilot," said Shiho Hahnenfuss. "And the only one you'll need."

"That sort of arrogance will get you killed on the battlefield," said Zane.

"It's not arrogance," replied Shiho evenly. "Or would you like me to prove it by taking on your precious CGUE in a Proto GINN and trashing it again?"

Zane winced slightly while Yzak's eyes widened. He'd heard about an incident like that, but hadn't really believed it. If that was true, then it meant Shiho's skill level was even further above theirs than he'd initially thought. No wonder she'd been assigned to test the DEEP Arms.

"I've improved since then," said Zane, trying to maintain his calm. "And my CGUE has also improved."

"Yes, I heard about your customizations," said Shiho. "Now let's go, we wouldn't want to keep the commander waiting."

* * *

JOSH-A

To Chris, the whole hearing was a joke. They were blaming Captain Ramius and Admiral Halberton for what happened to Heliopolis, the destruction of the 8th Fleet and just about anything else they could tie them to. But the vast majority of the blame was being thrown on the Gundam pilots. Because they were Coordinators and the pilots of the mobile suits. Sutherland was manipulating the facts and in some cases, ignoring the facts, all to shift the blame for the destruction of Heliopolis, Artemis and the 8th Fleet as a result of them being Coordinators. Hell, there was no doubt in Chris's mind that if he could, he would have blamed the four of them for the entire war.

Perhaps even more infuriating than all of that, even the majority of that blame was being shifted onto Kira and Makoto specifically! Even Natarle seemed to be trying to restrain herself from lashing out.

"And now for the final part. We have a number of questions that we would like to ask Ensign Christopher Dante," said Captain Sutherland.

Chris stood up, as ready as he could be for whatever they could throw at him. "Sir."

"You were a civilian living in Heliopolis, correct?" asked Sutherland.

"Yes sir," replied Chris.

"But tell me, where did you live before that?"

Chris scowled. "Junius Seven."

"So not only are you and your sister Coordinators, but you also lived in the PLANTs, whom we are currently at war with," said Sutherland. "And not only that, you're from the very PLANT that was destroyed by a group of radical Natural terrorists and started this war. Tell me, your record doesn't say where your parents are. I was wondering if you could shed some light on this matter."

"They're dead sir," said, Chris barely keeping himself from yelling.

Sutherland was lying about not knowing his parents' fate. He knew it. Everyone from the _Archangel_ knew it. Hell, chances were that everyone in the room knew it.

"And how did they die?"

"The Bloody Valentine Tragedy."

"I see," said Sutherland. "And you and your sister were sent to live with your aunt and uncle at Heliopolis before it happened. Who just so happened to work at Morgenroete. And as it turns out, worked on the G-Project. That's quite a coincidence."

"I don't understand what you're getting at sir," said Chris.

"Someone had to have tipped off ZAFT about the _Archangel_ and the mobile suits being built there."

"And you suggesting that my sister and I are ZAFT spies?"

"Not at all. Though you do bring up an interesting point," said Sutherland, a slight smirk on his lips. "Unlike Lieutenant Arata and Ensign Yamato, who had never set foot in the PLANTs, you two grew up there. And your parents and home were destroyed by Natural terrorists. Most people would have a grudge against Naturals for that kind of thing. They would likely seek vengeance against those that were responsible and against the Earth Alliance for failing to stop such an attack from happening right underneath their noses. Perhaps they'd seek out secret information to give ZAFT as vengeance for what happened to them."

"I didn't do any of that!" said an angry Chris.

"Who ever said you did?" Sutherland said. "I was merely speculating on how ZAFT could have found out about Heliopolis. Now, moving on. The incident in the Debris Belt with Miss Lacus Clyne. According to the records, you, along with, at the time, acting Ensigns Yamato and Dante and acting Crewmen Koenig released Miss Clyne from her cell. And then you personally brought her to the ZAFT Fleet pursing the _Archangel_ at the time. Why did you feel the need to disobey orders and endanger the ship by taking her to the ZAFT Fleet?"

"Because it was wrong for us to use her as a hostage," said Chris. "And given the choice, I would have done it again without hesitation. Do you plan to punish me for that incident _sir_?"

"No. Captain Ramius decision was the correct one. You were not an official soldier at the time, so we cannot punish you for that," said Sutherland. "However, this all goes to further show the _uncertainly_ of your loyalties. I can't help but wonder which side you'll ultimately side with. With the Earth Alliance or with your homeland."

"I have never done anything to betray the _Archangel_ or it's crew!" said Chris, barely keeping his voice under the level of a shout.

"I agree!" said Natarle. "Sir, your queries and statements are just short of outright accusations of treason. If you wish, I and the rest of the crew can readily vouch for the integrity of Ensign Christopher Dante and Ensign Elizabeth Dante."

Sutherland grit his teeth. He felt he'd been on a role too, but Badgiruel's point was valid, and the captain decided to quit while he was ahead. They weren't yet in a position to be able to perform the necessary purges, thanks to those pathetic, weak, treacherous bastards in the Eurasian Federation.

"You are, of course, correct," said Sutherland. "I was getting out of line. Thank you, Lieutenant Badgiruel. The activity at Carpentaria base has everyone on edge. This concludes our hearing. Thank you all for your patience in answering our questions. We'll be in touch with you concerning the _Archangel_'s next assignment." Sutherland stood up. "Except for Commander La Flaga, Lieutenant Badgiruel and Crewman Allster. All other crewmembers will continue to stay on standby aboard the _Archangel_."

"Sir, what about us?" asked Mu, voicing the question that was on everyone's minds.

"Orders are to have you three transferred," replied Sutherland. "Report to the Personnel Office at 0800 sharp."

"Sir, why is Crewman Allster being transferred?" asked Natarle.

"You heard her words when she formally joined the military," said Sutherland. "Seeing how she's a member of the Allster family, I'm sure those words will touch the hearts of many people, as well as her motives for joining the military. Her contributions don't necessarily have to be on the frontline."

* * *

The _Costeau_

"Azreal has come through for you," said Zane, pulling out the disk he'd been given earlier. "A clear route through JOSH-A's defenses and the access codes. I still don't see why you need to go."

Rau smiled and took the disk. "It's quite simple," he said. "To ensure that the Earth Forces top brass, do not have a change of heart at the last minute. The Cyclops System must be activated. At the moment, most ZAFT soldiers don't particularly hate Naturals. But after JOSH-A, that will change. For both sides."

"And of course, the Alaric Team will be right in center of that," added Rau.

"You convinced Zala to have them assigned to the Operation?" asked Zane.

"Yes," replied Rau. "That was a difficult thing to do. He didn't want them to get too much glory for the Operation's success. But I convinced him to have the Fleet assigned to the first wave, so they suffer the most casualties possible, including the possibility of Commander Alaric and Deputy Commander Kessel dying. He was particularly pleased with that possibility. It seems Kessel hasn't stopped battling Zala in the Council. And Zala hopes that the death of Kessel's remaining child will destroy the man."

"If it wasn't for the fact that the Operation was going to fail, he'd be pleased that the Alaric Team is going to be wiped out," said Zane.

* * *

The _Archangel_

Later that night

Chris walked into the mess hall. Flay was there, eating her dinner. She looked up and smiled. "Hi. How was it?"

"Awful," said Chris tiredly. "The guy running the show was jackass. Kept blaming us for what happened. Especially Kira and Makoto, with a little less blame shifted on Liz and I."

"That's terrible. The four of you did everything you could to protect everyone," she said.

Chris sighed. "They don't care. All they see is that we're Coordinators and nothing else," he said. "There's something I need to tell you in private."

A few minutes later, they entered his quarters. "What is it?" asked Flay.

"You're being reassigned," replied Chris as he sat down on his bed.

"What? Why?"

"Sounds like they want to use you and what happened to you for propaganda," said Chris. "You're suppose to report to the Personnel Office at eight tomorrow morning."

"That soon?" questioned Flay.

"I don't think your transfer actually comes for a few more days, but yeah," he said with a sigh. "Tolle's dead, Kira and Makoto are missing and now you're being reassigned. I honestly don't know what's going to happen next."

Suddenly, Flay's lips met his own. He returned the kiss, falling backwards onto the bed, Flay landing on top of him.

* * *

Aboard the _Odin_

"As you all know, we've been ordered to participate in Operation Spitbreak," announced Commander John Alaric to the gathered 'officers' and pilots of the Alaric Team. "Specifically, we've been ordered to be a part of the first attackg roup dropped from space, by Chairman Zala personally."

"Hmph. So, Zala's putting us in the most dangerous part of the Operation," said Basque, punching his palm. "They won't stand a chance against us."

"That's true," agreed Lisa. "But don't forget, we'll be fighting on Earth. Something we've never done before."

"Gah… I hate Earth's gravity," complained Herbert.

"Oh, shut up," retorted Hilda, punching her teammate in the shoulder.

"Enough," said Diana, silencing the group. "We won't be participating in the Operation."

Most of the gathered subordinates stared at the Deputy Commander as if she had grown a second head. They had never backed down from an assignment.

"But why?" asked Lisa, looking between John and Diana.

"Ajay approached me with his increasing feelings of dread over this Operation," said John.

In that one sentence, every question they could've voiced had been answered. Something bad was going to happen. Ajay's sixth sense about these things was never once wrong. If it weren't for his feelings of dread at Endymion Crater, none of them would have escaped in time before the Cyclops System was activated.

"We will report that we are having mechanical problems and will be unable to arrive in time for the battle," stated Diana.

"And this will give us time to get in touch with the Junk Guild," added John.

"You think they got a message from that contact of yours?" asked Ajay.

"Possibly. It's been awhile since we've received a message from him. Either way, the next couple of days will certainly be interesting."

* * *

The _Archangel_

The Next Day

Flay opened her eyes. Sitting on the side of the bed was Chris who was putting a shirt on. She sat up pulling the blanket up to cover her naked body. "Good morning," she finally said. "What time is it?"

"Quarter to seven," he replied as he put the jacket of his uniform on.

"I have just over an hour then," she said lowly before moving to grab her scattered clothes.

"Yeah…" said Chris. "Before you go, just in case you don't have anymore time before the transfer, there's something I want to give you."

"What?"

Chris reached underneath his collar and pulled out his grandfather's dog tags.

"Here," he said handing them to her. "These belonged to my grandfather. He claimed that they protected him. I thought it was foolish before, but I've had bizarre luck ever since I first stepped into the Raven. And I want you to have it so that bizarre luck can protect you since I won't be able to anymore once you leave the ship."

She grabbed his keepsake, smiling just a little. "Thank you," said Flay putting the tags around her neck.

* * *

ZAFT Fleet

In Earth Orbit

The ZAFT fleet was abuzz with activity. GINN Long Range Reconnaissance Types patrolled the area around the fleet watching for any possible threats. GINNs and CGUEs left their _Nazca_-class and _Laurasia_-class warships to board the drop pods tethered to the large dropships, awaiting their orders to launch into the Earth's atmosphere.

"Where the hell is Alaric and his Team?" yelled an annoyed Commander Darlian. "They're supposed to be in the first wave!"

"Message coming through, sir. It's from the Alaric Team. Reads: 'Unable to arrive in time for the start of the Operation due to mechanical problems. Will join up with assault group when able to.'"

Darlian slammed his fist into the armrest of his chair. "Hmph! It serves them right!" said Darlian in contempt of the Alaric Team. "They always think that they're the best and that normal military hardware isn't good enough for them. They waste their time installing black market parts into perfectly good mobile suits and warships. But we'll show them. This Operation will succeed without their help."

* * *

Jachin Due Control Center

_It's time. Time to cut off the beast's head._

Patrick Zala stood up from his chair on the upper balcony of the control center.

"As we embark on this operation, it is my strongest wish that it bring the war to a swift conclusion!" he said, his voice being transmitted to the ZAFT forces participating in the Operation. "Inspiring the hope in us all that this will lead to true freedom and justice! Let Operation Spitbreak now commence!"

The officers a floor below him scrambled to relay the orders to the ZAFT forces on standby.

"Message from Central Command. Target for Operation Spitbreak is… JOSH-A, Alaska."

Momentary confusion flooded the ZAFT forces. Just about everyone thought they were going to attack Panama and take the last Mass Driver from the Earth Forces. Not attack their central headquarters. But this confusion quickly subsided and everyone resumed their duties.

* * *

Aboard the _Cousteau_

"JOSH-A?" questioned Shiho. "But that's crazy…"

"It appears that Panama was a feint to draw the Earth Forces away from JOSH-A," said Zane from the cockpit of his CGUE. "A clever ploy."

"Yeah. I knew Chairman Zala was put in charge for a reason," said Yzak from the cockpit of the Duel.

Shiho frowned. She didn't like this. Far from ending the war, this would most likely just escalate it. JOSH-A wasn't the only place the Earth Forces could command from, and they weren't so incompetent as to be unable to evacuate their command personnel in the time it would take ZAFT to capture the base. Not only that, but this last minute change would delay the start of their attack by at least a day, probably more, leaving everyone high-strung with anticipation, worry, and over-eagerness.

If something went wrong, this attack could ultimately break ZAFT's hold on Earth and hand the Earth Forces a slow but sure victory on a golden platter.

* * *

The _Odin_

"JOSH-A?" questioned John. While that's what he would've favored, if handled properly, he knew ZAFT didn't have the manpower to hold JOSH-A without weakening all of their other holdings on Earth.

"Yes, Commander," said Captain Lee. "They just announced it. Spitbreak's true target wasn't Panama, but Alaska."

"It's a clever gamble," said Diana. "Draw the enemy's strength to where you're most likely to attack and then attack where they least expect it."

"But it won't work," said John. "Taking Panama was crazy enough, but in the end, this attack could cost us the war, unless their forces are even weaker than we thought, which is probably what Zala thinks."

"And Ajay felt that something was wrong with the Operation," added Diana. "There's no doubt in my mind that it will fail. The real question is, how badly will it fail?"

* * *

Clyne Residence, Aprilius One

Kira, Lacus and Reverend Malchio sat in sunroom drinking tea as the rain poured down outside. Kira had asked if there was any way to get back to Earth, which Siegel was checking on for him.

"It's impossible," said Siegel as he approached the group. "Even if you use the Reverend's shuttle, flights to Earth just aren't being allowed."

_BEEP BEEP_

"_There's a call coming in from Ms. Eileen Canaver and Mr. Ian Kessel,_" said a voice over the intercom.

The faces of a man and woman appeared on the screens within the glass. "_Siegel, Zala has deceived us all,_" said Ian. "_Spitbreak's target wasn't Panama. It's JOSH-A._"

"What?!" exclaimed Siegel.

At that instant, Kira's eyes widened in shock as his cup fell from his hand and shattered. The _Archangel_ was at JOSH-A. All of his friends were in danger.

"Kira!" said Lacus as she reached out to him.

"_He's trying to take out the Alliance Command in one fell swoop,_" Ian informed.

"_The Council is in an uproar. We've never approved anything like this,_" Eileen added. "_He's overstepped his authority._"

"_What do you expect from a man like Zala? I told you all that a man like him shouldn't be in charge,_" said Ian.

Kira didn't need to pay attention to the rest of the message. His friends were at Alaska and he needed to get back there before it was too late.

* * *

A short while later

"Lacus," said Kira, struggling against the tears in his eyes. Lacus looked him over, trying to conceal her worry and fear. The two were now alone in the sunroom. "I have to go back. I can't let them die."

"I know," said Lacus. "Kira… I…"

"I'll miss you," said Kira. "I'll miss this place. If it's ever possible, I think I'd… really like to live here. It's so beautiful and peaceful… and more importantly, it's where you grew up. It's your homeland."

"Kira…" said Lacus quietly, tears forming in her eyes. However, she managed a smile. "I understand. Please, come with me. I promise… I promise you the power to protect everyone and everything you love."

* * *

Half an hour later

Lacus led Kira through the corridors of a ZAFT installation. Kira wasn't exactly sure why they were here, but he figured that they were going to find a means to get him back down to Earth in time to save his friends on the _Archangel_, particularly given Lacus's previous words. They approached a large pair of doors. In front of the doors were a pair of ZAFT technicians and that man in the purple ZAFT uniform that had called Siegel, Ian Kessel, if he remembered correctly.

"Hello, Mr. Kessel," said Lacus with a smile.

"Hello, Miss Clyne. And you were the pilot of the Strike, correct?" said Mr. Kessel.

"Yes," answered Kira.

"Before we go in, could you tell me what happened to the Surge and it's pilot?" asked Mr. Kessel.

"No. I'm sorry, I can't," replied Kira sadly. "It was Saul, right?"

Kessel nodded.

"Lacus told me that you met him in Orb," he said, looking for the briefest of instances older and worn out, like how he had acted before had been mostly a mask. "When you get down there, please find out what happened to him. If he's with your other friends, well, tell him that I'm proud of him."

"I will, Mr. Kessel," promised Kira. Kessel smiled.

"Just Ian will be fine," he said. "You were a friend to Saul, so let's not be formal. And let's not waste anymore time. You two get going while I deal with security."

The doors opened and Lacus entered the dark hanger with Kira close behind. It was pitch black inside. All Kira could see was Lacus and part of the catwalk they were floating over. Suddenly, the lights in the hanger came on. Standing before the teens was a…

"A Gundam!" said Kira as he stared at the mobile suit in awe.

"Actually, that's not what it's called," said Lacus. "This is the ZGMF-X10A Freedom. But you know, Gundam is better because it sounds more powerful." Lacus giggled slightly.

"Under orders from Chairman Zala, they designed a new mobile suit using the technology of the Earth Forces machines they captured, and then added state of the art technology to it," continued Lacus.

"But why?" asked Kira. "Are you giving me…"

"I feel that this machine has the power that you're going to need," she replied with a smile. "Neither will alone nor strength alone will be enough. That's why. Will this take to where you want to go? Will it help you when you get there?"

The two were silent for a moment, staring up at the powerful mobile suit before them. The strongest in existence at that very moment.

"Neither will alone nor strength alone." said Kira, echoing her words.

He turned to her. "Who are you, really?"

"I am simply Lacus Clyne," the pink haired songstress told him. "And you are… Kira Yamato."

"I'm grateful," said Kira with a smile.

Ian entered the hanger. "We've knocked out the cameras," he informed them as he approached the two, a red ZAFT pilot suit and helmet in his hands.

"So what do you think of the Freedom?" he asked.

"I think Lacus is right," answered Kira. "I promise, I'll take care of it. You're entrusting it to me, and I'll make sure that that trust is never broken."

"Thank you, and good luck," said Ian, floating out of the hangar after handing Kira the pilot suit. "And I have no part in entrusting this to you. You can thank Miss Lacus."

Lacus turned away, allowing Kira to change into the pilot suit. A few minutes later, he was floating towards the entrance to the cockpit, helmet tucked under one arm, Lacus at his side.

"Are you sure about this?" asked Kira.

"Yes," said Lacus. "I too will be singing… the great song of peace."

"Be careful," said Kira.

"I will," said Lacus. "You take care too, Kira. My strength goes with you." She leaned forward, kissing him on the cheek the same way he'd kissed her back in Orb. "And now, you should be on your way." Lacus began to push off and head for the catwalk, but Kira grabbed her wrist, stopping her.

"Lacus," he said softly, staring into her diamond-like sky blue eyes with his deep violet orbs. "Before we part ways, there's something I need to tell you. Something I should've told you when you left Orb."

"What?" asked Lacus, feeling a fluttering in her heart. She already knew. There was no doubt about it. But they both knew that he needed to say this. And she needed to reply.

"I love you," said Kira, leaning forward.

"I love you too, Kira," said Lacus, leaning forward as well.

Their lips finally touched in a searing, passionate kiss they'd been waiting an eternity to feel.

Ian and the two Clyne supporter mechanics watching from outside the hangar stared in open shock.

"Goodbye," said Kira, finally pulling away. "I promise you, I won't die."

"No goodbyes Kira," said Lacus quietly, tears of happiness in her eyes. "I love you. No matter where we are, no matter the distance that separates us, no matter the obstacles in our path…"

"We'll always be together," finished Kira, feeling the same way. He smiled, and gently pushed her away. "It's time. I'll come back for you."

"Don't expect me to wait around," replied Lacus. "I'll follow you soon enough!"

Kira smiled and climbed into the cockpit of the mobile suit. He studied the systems as he booted it up, and noted the start-up display.

**G**eneration **U**nsubdued **N**uclear **D**rive **A**ssault **M**odule (**G**.**U**.**N**.**D**.**A**.**M**.) Complex

N-Jammer Canceler… over four times the power of the Strike…

But in his heart, Kira knew that all that power was nothing next to what Lacus had truly given him. The Freedom was a symbol of what Lacus had given him. That was its true strength.

Kira activated the mobile suit, engaged the Phase Shift Armor, and disengaged the maintenance cables.

"Neither will alone," said Kira to himself as he pushed forward on a control lever, readying the Freedom for takeoff.

"Nor strength alone," finished Kira, his camera focusing on the closing hangar doors, where Lacus was watching him, waving with one hand clutched to her chest.

Radio chatter filled the cockpit, the ZAFT flight controllers demanding that he shut down and identify himself, but Kira ignored them, pushing down on a pedal.

The Freedom took off flying out of the hanger.

Outside, patrolling GINNs watched as a mobile suit, moving so fast they could pairly make it out, emerged from Aprilius One and flew past them, shocking them with its speed. They took off in pursuit, firing their machineguns, but the white Gundam effortlessly evaded them, faster than any weapon the ZAFT pilots had ever seen.

Another pair of patrolling GINNs in front of the Freedom moved into its path, guns blazing. The Freedom, still dodging without effort, flew past them, moving in a blur as it drew a powerful beam saber and spun, slicing off the heads of both GINNs and severing limbs, utterly crippling them without hurting the pilots, all in the space of half a second, before blurring past them, leaving the patrolling ZAFT pilots stunned, numb with shock, the still intact GINNs lowering their weapons in defeat.

They couldn't keep up with that thing. It made even the reputation of the Strike and Dauntless seem feeble in comparison!

Kira relaxed slightly, leaning back in his seat, amazed by the Freedom's power. But even with all that, it would take him a few days to reach Earth, so he pulled out the keyboard and began to adapt the OS to suit himself better.

* * *

ZAFT Shuttle

A day and a half later

Athrun sat quietly in his seat on board the shuttle. There was barely anyone on the shuttle and those that were on board were mostly soldiers that had been too badly hurt to continue fighting in the war, like the man a few rows ahead of him. The brown haired man had lost his left eye and his left arm and was forced to walk with a cane. Clearly, his days of fighting were over. He glanced over to his left, where Michiru sat with Erik, a paper in her lap and pencil in hand. Her wrist had made a full recovery by the time they'd launched from Victoria, and she'd taken to passing the time by idly writing music, of which neither Athrun nor Erik could make any sense, aside, of course, from the lyrics.

Of course, there were only four lines of lyrics so far.

_Lost in the darkness_

_Hoping for a sign_

_Instead there's only silence_

_Can't you hear my screams?_

Suddenly, Michiru paused in her writing, her silver eye looking up.

"Right," she said, looking that way. Confused, Athrun, Erik, and those who'd been close enough to hear, glanced at the windows on the right side.

They looked just in time to see a mobile suit they'd never seen before fly past the shuttle with tremendous speed, practically a blur, heading for Earth. What they could see showed that it was similar in appearance to the machines built on Heliopolis, yet unlike any of those mobile suits.

Neither Kira nor Athrun realized they had just encountered each other again.

_Good luck_, thought Michiru, smiling for the first time since Erik had rescued her from that plane wreckage, as she returned to her music sheet. That mobile suit had given her sudden inspiration, and she let the lyrics and notes flow onto the sheet.

Maybe, just maybe, this would be worthwhile in the end.

* * *

**Author's Note: The changes regarding Ian's position should appeal to some of those (Peloponnese/G. Wagers) who felt that he seemed a bit too all-knowing/too good at undermining Zala. Rather than blatantly stating that he thinks Zala has hidden something from the council, he says that the only way he thinks it could succeed is if Zala had a hidden ace that he'd also hidden from the council. We also learn that the Earth Forces are producing seven new Gundams rather than three, and ZAFT is producing eight rather than five. So, you'll have some big stuff to look forward too.**

**Anyways, I don't have much to say. I think I'd had this whole rant prepared, but I forgot it by the time I finished. Perhaps I should start writing them down...**

**Well, in any event, please leave a review. Hopefully, the next chapter will come out soon.**

**Ja ne!  
**


	22. Phase 21: The Descending Sword

**Well, what do we have here? Another length chapter, and in a relatively very short period of time, too! I'm getting the fire for this story back, and have little in the way to distract me. The Battle of Alaska is here, but it's only the beginning of the real conflict, the beginning of the now-irreversible path to a genocidal battle that will decide the fate of the world.**

**Despite that, we get to see Kira topple armies with the Freedom, and Liz begins to reclaim her fire here. That's not to say she's recovered, but she's no longer the useless, wandering zombie she's been since the Battle of the Marshall Islands.**

**Of course, my fun doesn't end there. While this chapter is fun, it's the next few chapters that I really look forward too. Oh, I can't wait to get to the Battle of Onogoro! It'll be so much fun!**

**Anyways, time to stop boring you, I can leave the other announcements at the bottom.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Gundam SEED or any of the associated characters or mecha, much as I wish I did own at least a few of them. I do not own Chris or Liz Dante, or any member of the Alaric Team, or their mecha, nor do I own Zane Scirocco. I do, too a limited extent, claim some ownership of Victor Cain, but he still primarily belongs to Akatsuki Leader13. I also own the Guardian Gundam, as well as the OCs Petr Denisov, Erik Sharin, and Makoto Arata (not that anyone called Makoto has appeared since the destruction of the Dauntless Gundam, but she's talked about plenty).  
**

* * *

Phase Twenty-One: The Descending Sword

May 8th, C.E. 71

* * *

JOSH-A Submarine Pen

"Goodbye, commander…" said Natarle, starting to salute but trailing off as Mu held out a hand to her.

"Yeah," he said. "You take care, lieutenant."

With a slight, sad smile, Natarle accepted Mu's hands, the two officers shaking hands, this parting truly one of friends.

"Take of yourself, Flay," said Natarle.

"I will, Lieutenant Badgiruel," said Flay. Mu put a hand on her shoulder and she glanced at him before following him away towards their sub, Natarle leaving for her own.

"Just line up here," said Mu, a few minutes later, handing Flay her papers. "You'll have to show them your papers when you board, got it?"

"Yes," said Flay.

"Good," said Mu, walking away from the group.

"Wait! Where are you going?" she asked. Bad enough that she'd been separated from the rest of the _Archangel_ crew, she didn't want to be separated from the only familiar face here!

"I forgot something," replied Mu casually as he left. "I'll be back soon."

* * *

Unknown to the soldiers of the Earth Forces remaining at JOSH-A, almost exclusively those of the Eurasian Federation, ZAFT forces were, after a long three days, finally in position to commence the true Operation Spitbreak.

The drop pods tethered to the dropships in space were deployed, falling through the atmosphere towards the Alaska base. ZnOs and GOOhNs were launched from underwater sub carriers and heading for the base, though they'd arrive a little after the drop force began its assault. Early warning alarms went off in the abandoned control room of the base.

A moment later, the alarms went off throughout the base, alerting the garrison there as well as the _Archangel_. The manned and automated defenses of JOSH-A activated, preparing for the incoming attackers.

The Battle of Alaska had begun.

* * *

The _Archangel_

Murrue and the bridge crew were all stunned when they heard the alarms go off. Suddenly, Captain Sutherland appeared on the main screen.

"Captain Sutherland! What's going on?!" asked Murrue.

"_They tricked us!_" replied Sutherland through grit teeth. "_At the last minute, they switched their target to JOSH-A. All Defense Forces are to launch immediately. Commence interception._"

* * *

_Archangel _Hangar

"Damn," said Victor as he, Chris and Liz rushed into the hangar. "Who would have thought that they would have taken the gamble to attack JOSH-A?"

"This seems to happen just about every time we get a break," said Chris as put his helmet on. "This ship must be cursed or something."

"Well, it's not the most conspicuous of ships," replied Victor, heading for his mobile suit. "And I think its reputation has made it a major target for ZAFT. Anyone wanting to make a name for themselves will be gunning for us out there, so be careful"

Chris headed for the Raven while Liz, eyes full of a sudden, cold fury, ran for the Guardian.

"Keep the Buster and the Surge on standby," said Victor, who knew that the mechanics had repaired the two machines. He'd held down the fort in the hangar with Murdoch since the Battle of the Marshall Islands. With Makoto gone and Mu now transferred, the mercenary had effectively taken command of the _Archangel_'s mobile suit team.

"I'm surprised that you aren't going to use one of them," said Chris, as the Raven was loaded onto one of the catapults.

"Talos has been a good companion," said Victor. "So long as he can still fight, I won't abandon him for another mobile suit."

"You know, I actually feel the same way about the Raven," said Chris. "I don't think I could ever use another mobile suit."

The first catapult opened up.

"Chris Dante," he said. "Raven Gundam launching!"

The catapult activated propelling the Raven forward, transforming to mobile armor mode as soon as it had cleared the catapult.

"_Elizabeth Dante, Guardian, taking off!_" came Liz's voice, her tone bone chillingly cold. Chris shivered, glad the girl—no, the woman—with that tone was on his side. The thought of even sparring with Liz as she was now was anything _but_ comforting.

Talos launched, landing on the Raven as the Guardian transformed to mobile armor mode.

"This is gonna be tough," said Victor. "Stick close to the _Archangel_, and pray that we can hold out long enough for reinforcements to arrive."

* * *

Aboard the Cousteau

Rau Le Creuset glanced at his watch. It was almost time for them to launch. So far, the Operation had gone off without a hitch. Save one. The Alaric Team had been delayed and wouldn't be arriving in time. Technically, it wasn't a danger to what was going to happen, but the Cyclops System could have removed a potential threat to his plans saving the trouble of dealing with them himself.

_No matter. I'll have to deal them later_, Rau thought to himself.

"Zane, Yzak," he said over the radio.

"_Sir!_" the teens said.

"I'll be scouting out their inner defenses," said Rau. "I trust that you'll both be able to proceed as planned."

"_Yes sir,_" the two replied.

"Good. It's time to launch."

The three vertical catapults opened. Rau's silver DINN launched followed by the Duel and the red CGUE and their Guuls. The CGUE DEEP Arms and its accompanying Guul launched next, followed soon after by more DINNs and GINNs.

"The curtain has risen," Rau said to himself. "And now it's time for the actors to show their talent."

* * *

Submarine Pen

Flay was waiting in line to board the sub when the alarms went off. They were under attack! Flay knew the sensible thing to do was to wait and board the sub. There wasn't anything else she could do. But… she was worried about Chris and everyone else on the _Archangel_.

* * *

Elsewhere

A silver DINN slipped passed the raging battle unnoticed. It flew along the edge of the battlefield skimming past missile and anti-air batteries until it reached its target: a small, unassuming waterfall guarded by a pair of missile batteries. The missile batteries opened fire but the DINN evaded the barrage of missiles and flew past the batteries, through the waterfall and into the tunnel the waterfall hid.

"It seems Azrael's information was correct," said Rau as his DINN dashed through the tunnel heading for the base interior.

* * *

JOSH-A Airspace

ZAFT mobile suits filled the air as they headed for their objective: JOSH-A's Main Naval Gate. Unfortunately, when they reached the area, they were surprised by what they saw.

"Hey! Isn't that the legged ship?" asked a GINN pilot.

"I think it is," responded a DINN pilot. "You think if we take it down they'll give us medals like Zala's kid?"

"Hell yeah!" a second DINN pilot shouted. "A round of medals for everyone!"

"Cut the chatter," ordered the team leader from the cockpit of his CGUE. "We have a–"

However, before the pilot had a chance to finish whatever he had to say, a beam shot from above, tearing through the CGUE and Guul, destroying them. The rest of the ZAFT team looked up and eyes widened as they saw a smooth, streamlined mobile armor charging down at them.

Liz took split second aim and fired all of the Guardian's weapons simultaneously with a snarl of anger.

Makoto had given everything to protect her friends, to make sure the _Archangel_ made it to safety, and now these ZAFT bastards came charging in and endangering the ship in an effort to render Makoto's hard efforts worthless! Everything that she and Kira had fought for, meaningless!

It wasn't rational—after all, this attack had been planned long before the _Archangel_ reached Alaska. But logic often fled a person in Liz's position.

Chris and Victor couldn't help but stare in astonishment. In an instant, Liz had obliterated the entire ZAFT formation! She was fighting with an aggressiveness that was completely uncharacteristic of her.

As more ZAFT mobile suits blazed in, Chris and Victor opened fire, along with the _Archangel_ and all the other Alaskan defenders.

But even still, it was the Guardian that was truly proving its worth as never before. They'd always known it was superior to the Raven, perhaps the only machine to truly be the Strike's equal, but with Liz as she was know… it drove the point home as nothing else could.

Liz flew forward, evading enemy fire in a manner that seemed almost mocking with the ease Liz seemed to be handling it. The wings deployed as the Guardian barrel-rolled and made twisting turns through the ZAFT formations, the beam blades tearing apart Guuls, DINN wings, and the limbs and weapons of every suit unfortunate enough not to get clear in time.

The Guardian transformed to mobile suit mode, drawing a saber and cutting the arm of a CGUE that had tried to sneak up on Liz, stopping its attack cold. Liz kicked the CGUE off the Guul, landed on the flight platform herself, and in a flash returned her saber to the Guardian's hip and drew her Gundam's hyper impulse rifle, firing a shot to finish the CGUE before spinning around and opening fire repeatedly on the ZAFT mobile suits flying through the air.

It was a slaughter, and it made more than a few pilots on both sides feel distinctly inadequate.

"Why is she so worked up over Makoto's death?" questioned Victor. "Even Mir isn't anything like _this_!"

"_I've got a guess,_" said Chris. "_But now isn't the time. We're having problems below._"

"I see that," said Victor, glancing down at the water.

Down there, the ZnOs and GOOhNs were making their own advance, firing their torpedoes at the various naval vessels defending the base. Unlike the machines in the air that were trying—and miserably failing—to deal with the Guardian, Raven and Talos, there was nothing to stop them from attacking the ships directly. The torpedoes hit their targets, sinking several _Arkansas_-, _Des Moines_- and _Fraser_-class ships.

"I don't think you need me up here," said Victor dryly as a surprising number of the ZAFT forces tried to escape the Guardian's overwhelming fury. Liz had switched back to mobile armor mode now, and the Guardian was proving to be far more agile and speedy than the ZAFT machines, even their DINNs. Yet, despite her aggressiveness in laying waste to hosts of ZAFT mobile suits, Liz never once got too far from the _Archangel_. The Guardian was living up to its name as never before.

"_No, I don't think we do,_" agreed Chris somewhat dryly.

"Alright then," said Victor. "Murdoch!"

"_Yes sir?_" said Murdoch, adding 'sir' on as an automatic response. Victor ignored it.

"Get that bazooka we've got in the backup weapons area and the swords of the Aqua Striker ready for me. I'm going under to deal with those submarine mobile suits."

"_Right,_" said Murdoch.

"_Taxi ride's over Mr. Cain,_" said Chris as the Raven swept past the _Archangel_. Victor hurled himself off of the mobile armor and into the open catapult deck, where he again took up sniping position as he waited for Murdoch to ready the new equipment.

A few minutes later, the Talos emerged armed with a bazooka and with the Aqua Striker's heat swords mounted on the hip where a GINN normally kept its sword. The heavily modified GINN leaped off the edge of the catapult and into the depths below.

"What the? A GINN High Maneuver Type?" said a GOOhN pilot at the sight of the Talos. "Is it with the Alaric Team?"

"_Pilot, identify yourself,_" ordered the ZnO commander.

"_Victor Cain. Officer of the Alaric Team. Serial number ZM-211787,_" replied the GINN pilot instantly. "_My thrusters have failed and I need a hand at getting back to the surface._"

"_Alright then,_" responded the commander, not noticing the bazooka being pointed at his suit. "_Jenkins, help get him to the sur–_"

A rocket stuck the ZnO silencing the commander. Two more rockets destroyed a pair of GOOhNs before anyone could react.

"_Shit! Attack!_" shouted a GOOhN pilot.

Two GOOhNs charged the Talos intending to ram it but Victor was much faster. He fired the bazooka at one GOOhN, easily defeating it, as he reached for the first of the four swords on his suit with his GINN's other hand, and stabbed the second GOOhN. A moment later, it exploded.

"Who's next?" said Victor as more GOOhNs and ZnOs approached.

* * *

Elsewhere

Far away from the _Archangel_—and more particularly, its lethal mobile suits—the battle for JOSH-A was going poorly for the Earth Forces. ZuOOTs and BuCUEs were overrunning the Earth Forces tanks and gun batteries due in part to the air support provided by the GINNs and DINNs flying overhead.

Shiho almost idly fired off a burst of rounds from her rifle at a linear tank, destroying it. Nearby, Yzak destroyed a pair of tanks with the Duel's rifle.

"These targets aren't any challenge at all," complained Yzak as he aimed at a gun emplacement.

"_I find myself agreeing with you,_" said Zane as he fired at a gun battery. "_After fighting the legged ship for so long, fighting against such weak opponents feels dull and boring._"

Shiho snorted. "_Fighting the Earth Forces on Earth has always been dull and boring,_" she said. "_I'd rather be in space fighting mobile armors and warships. At least they can be a challenge with sufficient numbers. We could practically take this entire section of the base ourselves._"

"_Wanna try finding something better to hunt?_" asked Zane, thinking of the potential for another shot at the Raven.

Yzak hesitated. He knew exactly what Zane was suggesting, and normally, he'd be tempted. But Athrun had told him that Nicol could very well have survived the destruction of the Blitz and been captured. There was a chance he might still be on board, along with Saul and Dearka!

"_We've got our orders,_" said Shiho sternly, saving Yzak the trouble of answering. "_This Operation is already enough of a mess if you ask me. We're not gonna make it more of a mess by running off and disobeying orders simply because we were bored._"

"_Of course not,_" said Zane, knowing that she was right. Of course, that didn't matter to him, but he knew that Rau would have his head if he didn't play along.

* * *

_Archangel_ Brig

"Damn it!" cursed Dearka as the ship shuddered from a few hits of missiles. He was holding onto the prison bars in an attempt to keep steady. The battleship was going through a barrage of fire, but it would take a lot more than that to bring it down. Though this didn't help Dearka's mood as he was once again shook off balance. "What the hell's going on out there?!"

"Isn't it obvious? JOSH-A's under attack," said Saul lazily as he held onto his bed.

"Wait a minute!" exclaimed Dearka, clearly shocked. "Why is JOSH-A under attack?! I thought we were going attack Panama!" They knew they weren't at Panama—Mir and Chris had been taking a little while to talk to them whenever one of them brought the three their meals.

"Apparently, everyone thought that, too," responded Nicol also holding onto his bed. He was sweating out of nervousness. "But it looks like Alaska was the real target."

The _Archangel_ shook as it was hit again. Dearka, who had been standing in his cell, lost his balance and banged his head against one of the bars and fell over on his bottom.

"Ow! Damn it!" he said.

"You okay, Dearka?" asked a concerned Nicol.

"Yeah. I'm fine," he responded, rubbing his forehead. "Just a bruise."

"Could be worse," said Saul. "If this ship goes down, we go down with it."

* * *

Inside JOSH-A

Mu ran through the corridors of the base trying to find the _Archangel_ and any information regarding what was currently happening. It was at that moment that he felt it: a strange pressure-like feeling, the same spine tingling sensation he got whenever Rau Le Creuset was nearby. He reached the door to the command center and peered inside.

The room was empty, save for a ZAFT White Coat by the name of Rau Le Creuset. He stood over the console doing god knows what. Suddenly, though, Rau spun around and fired. Mu pulled his head back in time, barely dodging the bullets. Rau took off heading for a side door. Mu entered the room and fired at Rau. Rau reached the doorway and used the doorframe for cover while Mu moved behind a console to use as cover as well.

"It's been awhile, Mu La Flaga," greeted Rau, though his tone was far from welcoming. "I don't have time to be fooling around. Though we've only just met again, I apologize for leaving so soon. But if you're still hanging around here, then your usefulness to the Earth Forces is almost at an end. Oh Hawk of Endymion, how the mighty have fallen!"

Rau laughed and fired a few more rounds before taking off. Mu considered following him, but he needed to know why Rau was here. He turned to the computer Rau had been looking at. What he saw turned his blood cold. It was something he'd hoped he'd never see again.

"No…" he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "They wouldn't… those bastards…"

* * *

Elsewhere

Flay ran through the corridors of the base wishing for the hundredth time that she had paid better attention to the route they took from the _Archangel_. She was hopelessly lost in the massive base. It was like a maze, and she wondered why it was built this way briefly. She reached an intersection when an Earth Alliance soldier appeared from another hallway.

"A ZAFT soldier!" he shouted, staring down a different hallway as he drew his sidearm.

_BANG!_

The soldier fell to his side bumping Flay in the process. Flay stumbled, shrieking as she fell into the intersection. She lanced up from the direction the shot came from and she noticed one thing and it frightened her. Standing there was an armed masked man wearing a white ZAFT uniform. She silently hoped someone, anyone, was still around to come to her rescue but it looked pretty obvious that no one would be helping her. She looked for the next best thing: something to defend herself with. She noticed it and reached for the fallen soldier's gun and pointed it at the man, her hands shaking as she held the weapon.

"What have we here?" said the man, more intrigued than anything. He knew soldiers when he saw one, but this girl in front of him was acting far from one. Was it the feeling of her intense fear radiating off of her face? Or was it something else?

Flay's eyes widened in shock. That voice. It sounded just like her father's, but that was impossible. He was dead. She saw the ship he was on explode before her eyes! And this man didn't even look remotely like her father at all.

"That… that voice," she said. "Why…? Why do you sound like my daddy?!"

The man didn't react, or if he did, she didn't see it. Instead, he rushed towards her. His speed and reflexes were far greater than the girl's own. The shock from his fist forced her to fire a single shot before she was overcome by darkness and fainted into the man's arms.

* * *

Elsewhere

Mu rushed towards the nearest hangar. He had to warn everyone on the _Archangel_ before it was too late! He finally reached a hangar but it was a mess. Debris littered the hangar floor and much of the hangar crew was trying to put out a fire that erupted at another end of the large space. Fortunately, there were a few Spearhead fighters sitting in the hangar that looked flyable. He needed one of those fighters. While he was back in the command room, he learned that the _Archangel_ had been participating in the battle just outside the base.

"What?! They've been completely wiped out! That's impossible!" said a Eurasian soldier manning the hangar's comm console.

Mu ran to that man. "Who's in charge here?"

The soldier turned to him. "Ah… At the moment sir, you're the only ranking officer here."

"Then get out of here now! The base is being abandoned!" informed Mu urgently. "Get everyone here at least ten kilometers from the base as quickly as you can!"

This didn't make any bit of sense to the soldier one bit. "Ten kilometers? I don't understand sir."

"Just get out of here NOW!"

The soldier nodded. "Ah… Yes sir."

Not bothering to watch him gather the hangar crew and flee, Mu rushed to the nearest fighter grabbing a discarded helmet along the way. He climbed into the cockpit and started the fighter up. A moment later, he took off, heading for the _Archangel_'s last known coordinates.

* * *

Outside JOSH-A's Main Gate

The Talos reached the surface of the water near the _Archangel_.

"_Archangel_, I've taken care of the underwater units for now, but more will come," said Victor. "I'm returning for resupply."

"_Roger,_" responded Miriallia, who was pulling double duty as communications officer in Flay's absence. "_Chris and Liz are also heading back for resupply as well, though it was hard to convince Liz to come back in._"

"I have no ammo left in the bazooka," said Victor as the Talos rose out of the water's surface. "I'll get my rifle and cover the ship while they get resupplied."

The Talos landed on the port mobile suit catapult and entered the hangar. Victor retrieved his sniper rifle and loaded some clips onto the Talos' ammo racks. As he turned towards one of the catapults, the catapult door exploded from a barrage of missiles. Victor swore.

"If we don't get any reinforcements soon, there won't be anyone left to save when they do get here," he said grimly as he moved out and began to open fire.

Suddenly, a new voice came over the radio.

"_This is Captain Petr Denisov of the _Anastasia_ to all ships,_" said a voice with a clearly Russian accent, despite the impeccable English. "_The _Archangel_ has held the line well, but they need our assistance. Their mobile suits are in need of resupply and the enemy is still coming strong. Rally around the _Archangel_! Protect it until its mobile suits are resupplied and don't even stop then! That ship is our first, last, and _best_ line of defense as we wait for reinforcements! Do not let the enemy sink it!_"

The Eurasian Federation Captain's words seemed to have a morale-boosting effect as the defending ships followed the order and began to rally around the _Archangel_ to better defend the powerful warship and the Main Gate behind them. Victor couldn't help but whistle slightly in admiration.

"Glad there are people like him on our side right now," he said as he opened fire.

* * *

Mu piloted his fighter over the battlefield, trying to avoid getting into a fight with ZAFT as he headed for the main naval gate where the _Archangel_ should be. Hopefully.

A GINN fired at him. Mu evaded the incoming bullets and fired off a missile hitting the GINN's mono-eyed main camera. Mu quickly flew past it before it could recover. He had to find the _Archangel_. He didn't have time to waste on fighting.

A few minutes later, Mu spotted the main gate, and the _Archangel_ in the heart of the battle it played out on, surrounded by other defenders who'd obviously rallied around the powerful warship.

"There she is!" he exclaimed.

Despite the support of virtually all of the Alaska fleet in this area, the _Archangel_ had taken a beating. There was a gaping hole one of the catapults and the other was open, allowing the Guardian and Raven to land. Standing on top of the ship was the Talos, destroying mobile suits with single, well aimed shots from its rifle.

Mu headed for the _Archangel_. He opened up a comm. line, trying to warn Murrue and the others, but a GINN spotted him and fired. Mu spotted it at last second and tried to evade the GINN's fire, but he wasn't quick enough. A round struck his fighter and he was quickly losing altitude. It was lucky that the shot didn't cause his fighter to explode.

"Damn it!" swore Mu as he struggled to keep the fighter stable. "_Archangel_! _Archangel_, come in! This is La Flaga! _Archangel_ come in!"

There was no response, however. Either his radio was damaged or theirs was.

"Guess I've got no choice," he said. "Clear the way cause I'm coming through!"

Mu aimed his fighter for the gaping hole in the catapult door. The fighter barely crashed into the deck, skidding across the catapult and crashing into the hastily erected crash net. Mu quickly jumped out of the cockpit and ran towards the bridge, ignoring Murdoch and the others surprised shock at his arrival.

"What's he doing here?" asked Liz, the first time she'd really spoken in days, though her voice was still chilled. "I thought he was transferred off the ship."

"Apparently it didn't stick," said Chris.

* * *

The Bridge

"Captain!" shouted Mu as he entered the bridge out of breath from his run.

The captain glanced around quickly recognizing who had addressed her.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" asked a very surprised Murrue. Wasn't he supposed to be transferred?

Mu ignored her question. "No time…" he said. "We have to get out of here right now!"

Marrue was confused. "What?"

"There's a large Cyclops System under the base!" said Mu, shocking the entire bridge crew. "It's powerful enough to turn everything within ten kilometers of the base into a blast furnace! There aren't enough forces here to defend the base long enough for reinforcements to arrive! Soon, the defenders will be overrun and ZAFT will reach the base interior! That's when they'll activate the System and destroy the base! And in the process, take out more than half of the enemy's fighting strength! That's the outcome of this battle as imagined by the top brass!"

"It can't be!" said Murrue, trying to convince herself that he was wrong.

"I swear to you, I saw it with my own eyes," said Mu. "The command center is abandoned. The only ones that are left are the Eurasian forces and the _Archangel_ because those bigwigs have given up on her!"

"So they left us here to die?" asked Arnold.

"Only after we give them a desperate struggle so the enemy doesn't know it's abandoned," said Mu angrily.

"Wh-what kind of strategy is this?" choked Mir, her eyes watering. "Because this is a war. And because we're all suppose to be good soldiers. If they tell us too, I guess we're suppose to throw away our lives." The moment she heard Mu speak about the Cyclops System, all her confidence and her beliefs shattered. The memories that kept her up in the past few nights and led her to talk to the captured ZAFT pilots, images and nightmares of Kira, Makoto and Tolle dying all because of the war, resurfaced as she began to break down.

Murrue scowled. They, and everyone else in JOSH-A, had been left to die by their own commanders. The bridge was silent save for the distress calls from various forces fighting in JOSH-A.

"_This is the_ Grant_! The Northern Naval Gate is lost! I repeat, ZAFT has breached the North Gate!_"

"…_We're being overrun! There's too many of them! We need assistance!_"

"_The entire Sixth Air Defense Force has been wiped out! Command! We need reinforcements! Command?! Come in Command!_"

"_This is the 14th Armored Battalion! We need reinforcements! We need rein… AAAAGH–_"

Murrue came to her decision.

"If the whole objective of this battle was to lure the ZAFT forces closer in, then in my opinion, this ship has already completed its objective," she said. And, to ensure the safety of her own crew, she added, "Note that I, Murrue Ramius, Captain of the _Archangel_, make this decision alone. No other member of the crew is to be held responsible."

"Don't put too much pressure on yourself Captain," said Mu.

Murrue ignored him and stood up. "This ship will now abandon the battle area and make its withdrawal. Inform Mr. Cain and the others of what's happened and then signal the other ships to follow us. Tell Captain Denisov what Commander La Flaga just told us. Engines to maximum. Head to port. We'll make our escape there!"

"This won't be an easy battle for us," said Mu as Murrue sat back down. "I'm launching as well."

"But Commander–" she started.

"Don't worry," said Mu with a slight smile. "Remember, I'm the guy who makes the impossible, possible."

* * *

_Costeau_ Hangar

Zane smirked as he launched from the _Cousteau_. They had returned to resupply their mobile suits when Rau had returned. Yzak and the others had been eager to join the others heading into the base interior, but the Commander had ordered them to attack the main gate. The legged ship was there and as a result, it was still standing. They'd be far enough from the base interior to allow them to escape before the Cyclops System could reach them.

It was time to end that troublesome ship once and for all. And if they couldn't destroy it, then the Cyclops would.

"_Looks like you got your wish Zane,_" said Shiho as the DEEP Arms cleared the catapult and landed on its Guul. "_We're going hunting for the toughest prey the Earth Forces can offer._"

"Just don't get overconfident," warned Zane. "Like you said, it's the toughest they've got. But if we take it out, it will cement our victory here."

Yzak nodded in agreement.

"Alright, listen up everybody!" he said over the comm. "We're going after the legged ship. And we're gonna destroy that ship once and for all!"

* * *

JOSH-A Main Gate Defense Zone

"_Damned bastards,_" came Captain Denisov's voice over the radio as the _Anastasia_ stuck close to the _Archangel_. "_Alright, if those bastards think they can abandon us to die then so be it! We won't just lie down like dogs under the heel of those who would support Blue Cosmos! Perhaps it isn't well known, but I know for a fact that the mobile suits of the _Archangel_ are piloted by Coordinators! Two of the three heroes who gave their lives to make sure it got here were Coordinators! Perhaps to some, this is a conflict between races, but to me, _race_ has_ nothing _to do with it! But to any who would use the tactics employed here today, _genocide_ is the only path they accept! But we will not accept this, and we will certainly not die for it! All ships, continue to rally around the _Archangel_! Even if we must give our lives, so long as one ship breaks through and escapes to tell the truth of what has been done here today, we will have been victorious! Now fight on! For those who have died! Fight in the name of the Strike Knight and the Dauntless Angel who gave their lives so our greatest hope may be safe!_"

"Wow," said Chris. "So Kira and Makoto have even been given their own nicknames? Guess even death won't stop them from doing their part."

"_You're right,_" agreed Victor as the Launcher Skygrasper shot out of the catapult following the hastily resupplied Guardian and Raven. "_But that's how it always is for people like them. Their will to protect crosses even the boundaries of death itself._"

"He's an inspirational leader," said Liz softly in agreement. Her fighting now lacked the overwhelming aggressiveness of earlier, but a new determination had filled her in its place. _Makoto… I think I understand now. Even in death, you live on. That's why it hurt so much. I couldn't see that. I just wanted you by my side physically. But even though you're not here, you're still with me, with all of us._

Eyes shining with a determination that harkened back to the redhead the brunette's thoughts were focused on, Liz shot forward to clear a path for the _Archangel_ and their Eurasian allies.

"For the Dauntless Angel!" she cried out, swooping down on a ZAFT vessel and opening fire. Other ZAFT vessels let loose a barrage of missiles on the Earth Forces warships. The _Archangel_ managed to dodge them, but the naval vessels lacked the assault ship's ability to fly, and were forced to rely on their CIWS. Two ships were sunk, but the _Anastasia_ and several others remained.

"_Heads up!_" said Mu from the cockpit of his Skygrasper. "_We've got company!_"

A group of ZAFT mobile suits appeared, heading for them, the Duel, a red CGUE and a deep blue CGUE leading in the front.

"Zane," said Chris lowly, a glare settling on his features as he eyed the red CGUE.

Yzak glared at the trio of fighters moving to intercept his group. There was that fighter that was always fighting Dearka, along with the Raven and the Guardian.

"The fighter's mine," he said lowly. "Hōsenka, Zane, you can have the other two. Split them as you wish." With that, he turned up the thrusters in his Guul, along with the two CGUE pilots, the three blazing ahead of the group.

Shots were exchanged by the mobile suits and fighters, the group breaking up for single confrontations by silent, mutual agreement.

Mu launched a mortar from the Agni, but Yzak skillfully dodged it.

"I'm not the Buster! You won't take me down that easily!" said Yzak, firing with his beam rifle and the Shiva.

Mu grit his teeth as he deftly dodged the counterattack—barely. Whatever the Duel pilot's problems had been previously, he'd clearly gotten over them and was now more dangerous than that blond down in the brig Mu was so used to fighting.

Also, if the Duel closed in with a beam saber, he'd be in trouble.

Elsewhere, Zane fired his thermal cannon at the incoming Raven. Chris dodged and responded by firing back with his twin railgun.

"_This time, I will defeat you,_" said Zane. "_One way or another, you're going down today!_"

"Damn it!" cursed Chris, who was desperate to stop the fight so they could escape the base. "Now is not the time for this, Zane! There's a Cyclops System under the base! We have to get out of here before it's too late!"

He heard Zane chuckle. "_I already know that,_" said his former friend.

"What?!" cried Chris. "Then why are still here?!"

"_As I said, I am here to defeat you. Now die!_"

Chris scowled. There was only one option at this point. "I have no other choice then," he said. "If you won't get out of the way, I will make you get out of the way."

The CGUE's Guul fired off a barrage of missiles. Chris fired off the Raven's guns, destroying the missiles and then fired his railguns at the CGUE. It quickly rose up dodging the shots. Zane drew his sword and threw it like the spear at the Raven. The Raven made a hard right narrowly dodging the makeshift spear.

Meanwhile, Liz had commandeered a Guul for the battle with her own CGUE. She could already tell that she'd need it against this machine, which was at least as heavily upgraded as Zane's was.

Liz opened fire, but the CGUE dodged without effort before returning with a burst from its machinegun, skewering Liz's rifle repeatedly. Gritting her teeth, Liz backed away and drew a beam saber before charging in. In a flash, though, the CGUE had drawn its own sword, which emitted a beam blade, and caught Liz's saber before pointing the two cannons at Liz's Guul. They fired thermal energy blasts, and Liz was forced to leap away and transform back to mobile armor mode.

"Damn it!" she cursed. This pilot was at least something very close to Kira's equal, possibly even better than him! And that CGUE was even stronger than Zane's. Liz knew she was in trouble.

On top of the _Archangel_, Victor fired the last rounds from his rifle, destroying two DINNs.

"You're not sinking this ship," he said as he discarded the spent clip.

At that moment, a trio of DINNs fired off a barrage of missiles, while a pair of GINNs let loose with D-class equipment. The DINN missiles streaked towards the top of the _Archangel_'s hull and the Talos. Victor swore as he jumped trying to avoid the incoming missiles but several missiles hit the Talos. The badly damaged GINN crashed onto the hull, it's right shin, entire left leg and right bicep destroyed.

"Gah! Damn it!" cursed Victor through clenched teeth. As if that wasn't enough, the GINN missiles hit the _Archangel_ near its thrusters, sending the massive ship momentarily careening towards the ocean and the _Anastasia_ below it.

Suddenly, just as Neumann managed to regain control and narrowly avoid a collision with the _Tarawa_-class carrier, a Guul-mounted GINN swooped down in front of the bridge of the warship, its rifle aimed at its crew. Murrue and the bridge crew all stared down the barrel of the rifle in horror, many instinctively ducking, covering their heads with their arms, or closing their eyes in fear of death.

"NO!" screamed Victor from the cockpit of his crippled machine. He was unable to help them.

Mu, Chris and Liz turned their attention momentarily from their own battles to see the GINN. But they couldn't do anything! The three ZAFT machines they fought were giving them a hard enough time, and even if they could break away, they were too far to do anything without risking destroying the _Archangel_'s bridge! Time seemed to slow to a crawl as the GINN pilot started to squeezed the trigger. It was too late. They had lost their comrades!

At that instant, a green beam shot from above and tore through the rifle, effectively destroying the weapon without hitting anything else. Everyone in the area looked up in shock, trying to find the source of the blast. Descending on the GINN and the _Archangel_ with impossible speed was a white mobile suit none of them had ever seen before. The mobile suit drew a beam saber and sliced the GINN's head off. The GINN backed off as the newcomer took a position in front of the _Archangel_'s bridge, its majestic blue wings outstretched shielding it from any further harm.

People couldn't help but stare in awe of the new mobile suit, the battle momentarily pausing. It was a majestic-looking machine, and even though it wasn't much larger than the Duel, Guardian or Raven, it projected an aura of power that made it seem like a titan, all other machines, even the _Archangel_, seeming almost small in comparison.

"_This is Kira Yamato,_" came a voice suddenly over the Earth Forces comm. channel. "_I'll cover you. Meanwhile, please, withdraw to safety._"

Everyone amongst the _Archangel_ bridge crew and all of the warship's pilots gasped in shock. It couldn't be…

But there was no mistaking that voice, that will to protect. The only other person it could've been was Makoto.

Shaking off their surprise, the GINNs and DINNs resumed their attacks on the _Archangel_ and the other defenders. Kira, understanding as never before what it was that was special about him, felt an amethyst jewel seed rush through his mind and explode behind his eyes. The winged mobile suit flew forward, its targeting system rising in the cockpit and locking onto every nearby ZAFT machine as the hip-mounted railguns unfolded and wing-concealed plasma beam cannons flipped over the shoulders.

Kira squeezed the Freedom's trigger.

Instantly, a beam lanced out from the Lupus rifle, a pair of mortars were launched from the Balaena plasma cannons, and a pair of hyper-velocity rounds were slugged from the Xiphias railguns. The massive and powerful barrage was perfectly aimed, hitting the heads, limbs and weapons of dozens of ZAFT mobile suits before proceeding to hit another one behind the first, and continuing on like this for several more machines. One victim was the crimson CGUE's head. Stunned pilots of both damaged and undamaged mobile suits backed away from the winged mobile suit and the legged ship, unsure of what to do against the power the newcomer had displayed. The defenders all gaped at the incredible firepower and unbelievably precise accuracy.

"What the hell was that?!" shouted Yzak in shock. Even Shiho was somewhat fearful of this powerful new machine.

With nerves of steel, many pilots proceeded to charge back in, all gunning for this new machine, but it dealt with them in a manner that seemed to be mocking to many of the onlookers, treating the ZAFT suits like they were nothing more than mild pests of no real concern.

"_Please, stop wasting time, withdraw!_" said Kira, suddenly appearing on the main monitor of the _Archangel_'s bridge.

"Yes, but…" said Murrue. "Well… there's… a Cyclops. Beneath Headquarters! We're all just bait. They planned this! We had no idea!"

Kira gasped slightly.

"_That's why we can't withdraw,_" continued Murrue. "_We have to get further away from the base._"

"I understand," said Kira as he blew away another GINN with the left Balaena. Bringing up the Freedom's targeting system again, Kira locked onto a mix of mobile suits and inbound missiles, flying forward with all weapons at the ready. He activated an outgoing comm. line on all channels.

"Attention all ZAFT and Earth Alliances Forces," said Kira. "Any moment now, the Cyclops System will activate and the Alaska Base will self-destruct." Kira heard more than a few gasps of surprise as he began firing repeatedly, destroying missiles and disarming or otherwise disabling mobile suits. "Both sides, please, cease fighting and withdraw from this area immediately! I repeat: the Cyclops System will activate and the Alaska Base will self-destruct. Both sides, please, cease fighting and withdraw from this area immediately."

More confusion spread across the ranks of the soldiers fighting and their commanders. Was this guy bluffing to try to get the ZAFT forces to flee? Or was he speaking the truth and they were moments away from being annihilated? A few ZAFT soldiers decided that it was better to be safe than sorry claiming that they needed to resupply. Many, still confused over everything that happened in the last few minutes, didn't do anything. The rest simply ignored him and resumed attacking the base and its defenders.

Among those that ultimately chose to ignore the warning was Yzak, but he was also driven by curiosity. Why was this pilot's voice familiar?

"I'm not falling for that!" said Yzak, firing at the white mobile suit. It spun around and deflected the shot. Kira's eyes narrowed.

_Yzak…_ he thought.

The Duel drew one of its beam sabers as the Freedom closed in on it, intercepting the machine's wrist with the shield.

"I told you to stop Yzak! Do you wanna die here?!" demanded Kira.

Yzak froze, stunned.

"K-Kira?" he stuttered in shock. What was Kira doing here?!

Suddenly, the Freedom grabbed one of its beam sabers and cut the Duel's legs apart, and Kira quickly grabbed the front of the Duel's torso.

"_You and I have a lot to talk about Yzak,_" said Kira, spinning and tossing the Duel towards the _Archangel_. The Assault Shroud-reinforced mobile suit crashed onto the deck near the Talos, and Victor drew one of his beam sabers, dragging the Talos over to the Duel and covering the cockpit with the saber.

"I'd tell you to get out and surrender, but at the moment, it's probably a lot safer in there," said Victor as the _Archangel_, _Anastasia_, and other Eurasian Federation vessels rallied around them began to break through with the aid of the Freedom.

"Yzak!" cried Shiho, trying to fly in and save the silver-haired pilot. The Freedom, however, intercepted her. Shiho dodged the first shot from the beam rifle.

Kira eyed the CGUE DEEP Arms contemplatively. He'd found information on it, as well as a machine called the GuAIZ Experimental Firearms Type, in the Freedom's database. This particularly DEEP Arms would be piloted by Shiho Hahnenfuss, one of ZAFT's best. Knowing he couldn't hold any of Freedom's power back, Kira snapped all his weapons onto the DEEP Arms and fired.

This time, Shiho didn't escape unscathed.

The railgun rounds tore off the CGUE's legs, while the plasma cannon mortars tore away the arms at the shoulders. Finally, the beam rifle blast took off the head of the CGUE, which began to fall into the ocean before being rescued by a DINN and carried back to the _Costeau_.

"Damn it!" said Shiho, watching as the legged ship, the Duel still laid out atop it, faded into the distance in her remaining cameras.

* * *

Aboard the Earth Forces Submarine _Pisces_

Captain Sutherland sat in his seat at the table waiting along with the rest of the officers from JOSH-A. It was almost time. They had just received word that ZAFT had breached the interior of the base and would soon overrun it. Sutherland had personally told the doomed fools that reinforcements would be there in less then twenty minutes. All they had to do was hold out until then. The door to the briefing room opened, and Admiral Jamitov Hymen entered the room. All of the officers in the room saluted the Admiral.

"Sir. ZAFT has breached the base interior," informed Sutherland. "It's time."

Jamitov nodded. He silently took his seat next to Sutherland. Before both of them were a pair of metal boxes attached to cables with a keyhole in the center. Both men pulled out their keys and inserted them into the keyholes.

"It is my sincerest wish that this terrible sacrifice will bring a swift end to the war," said a solemn and weary Jamitov.

"For the preservation of our blue and pure world," added Sutherland. "Three… Two… One."

Both men simultaneously turned the keys… and unleashed hell upon those at JOSH-A.

* * *

Underneath JOSH-A, the massive Cyclops System array came to life. The first to feel its effects were the Eurasian soldiers in the interior of JOSH-A and the ZAFT forces that had penetrated the interior. Unlike a normal self-destruct that would have engulfed the base in a massive explosion, the microwave weapon rapidly heated up the munitions and propellant of weapons used by both forces causing them to explode. It had the same effect on human bodies. Water in the human body would quickly heat up. The people affected inflated like balloons. Mercifully, this agonizing process only lasted a few seconds before they too exploded from the inside out.

They were the first victims of the Cyclops System but they wouldn't be the last. The System wouldn't stop until it reached the critical point and the base, as well as the array itself, was destroyed by the intense heat.

* * *

_Archangel_ Bridge

"Oh no!" said Sai. "They've activated the Cyclops!"

"Engines to maximum! Get us out of here!" shouted Murrue at the top of lungs.

Arnold didn't need to be told. As soon as Sai informed them that the Cyclops System had been activated, he had gunned the engines. The _Archangel_ pushed forward as fast as its engines could move it, firing desperately and haphazardly to clear the way for its allies. ZAFT mobile suits desperately fled the area, and many escaped.

But many did not. Almost all the surviving Earth Forces naval ships trying to flee proved to be too slow and joined the growing number of causalities. The Guul of a headless GINN near the _Archangel_ exploded. The pilot screamed as shrapnel hit the GINN and he began to fall before the Freedom grabbed hold of its arm.

"I got you," said Kira carrying it and its pilot to safety.

By some miracle, the _Archangel_, _Anastasia_, and several more vessels barely managed to reach a safe distance before the entire base exploded like a massive inferno. The horrified ZAFT forces didn't bother to pursue the six escaping ships.

* * *

_Costeau_

"It can't be!" said the _Cousteau_'s Captain in horror.

The entire bridge crew of the _Cousteau_, had similar looks of horror on their faces. They couldn't believe that the Earth Forces would do such a thing at their own headquarters.

"It seems that we've fallen for the Earth Forces' trap," said Rau tonelessly, before looking away with a smirk that went unnoticed by all around him.

* * *

Aboard the _Odin_

"I see," said John. "So, he was going to meet up with the 8th Fleet when Victoria was taken, stranding him in Africa."

"That's right," said Captain Burton of the Junk Guild. "We wanted to give him some new equipment, but we had nothing of real value aside from a few assault knives that he took. But that's not all of it, regardless. We recently received word from some of our comrades on Earth that the new Earth Forces warship landed in Africa and defeated the Desert Tiger with the help of a band of rebels and a mercenary. The mercenary piloted an Alaric Team-customized GINN High-Maneuver Type and was reportedly an excellent marksman. Since then, there's been reports of the same GINN High-Maneuver Type fighting alongside the warship in every single battle since they left Africa."

"So, he's fighting alongside them for now," said John, nodding. Burton nodded in agreement.

"It appears that way," he said. "Oh, and before I forget, here's his usual report from the last time we met." He pulled out a disc and held it out to John, who took it with a nod.

"Thank you," he said. "You're people have been a tremendous help to us."

An instant later, a voice blared over the ship's intercom.

"_Commander Alaric! Please report to the bridge at once! I repeat, please report to the bridge at once!_"

John stood up. "It seems something has happened," he said. "Excuse me."

"I understand," said Burton. "I'll be heading back to my ship and oversee the supply transfer."

The two left John's office and went their separate ways, Captain Burton heading for the hangar while John headed for bridge. A few minutes later, John stepped onto the bridge. The bridge was buzzing with activity. Diana and Lee turned to him as he entered.

"What has happened?" he asked.

"Spitbreak failed," said Diana bluntly. "The Alliance used a Cyclops to destroy the base and our forces. Early estimates put the causalities as low as seventy percent and as high as ninety percent."

John swore as he took his chair. Another Cyclops was just used!

"Bastards," he said. "Contact Commander Darlian immediately! I want a full status report on our holdings on Earth! If the Alliance is preparing a counterattack, I want to know where! And I want the supplies from Burton's ship aboard our ships now!"

The _Odin_'s bridge crew snapped into action, rushing to carry out her orders. A few minutes later, Commander Darlian's face appeared on the main screen.

"_What Alaric?!_" he demanded, his tone angry.

"Are the reports true? Did they use a Cyclops at JOSH-A?" asked John coolly. He did not like this man; Darlian was in Patrick Zala's pocket.

"_Yes,_" grunted Darlian. "_They wiped our forces out._"

"What's the status on our remaining forces from the attack?" asked John.

"_What?_"

"Don't tell me they're just sitting on the waters outside Alaska." said John. "If they haven't already started to, tell them to regroup at Carpentaria."

"_Who do you think you are?! You can't order me around! I am in command of this Operation!_"

"Idiot!" said John, standing up and glaring at the man full force. "This Operation is over! We lost! Order the retreat so we can regroup and determine what to do! If you won't then I will!"

Darlian scowled and closed the comm. line. "Arrogant fool," said John. "What's the status of our Earth-based forces?"

"From what we can tell, they're fine for now," said Lucius, bringing him a personal computer with the initial reports from Earth. "The Alliance hasn't mobilized any forces to attack our bases on Earth yet. But from the reports coming in, ZAFT is in complete disarray. The entire momentum of the war has changed."

"Indeed it has," mused Diana, standing next to John and staring at the initial reports. "Our forces have been devastated today. We won't recover from such a blow for a long time. Perhaps not until after the war is over. The playing field has been virtually leveled now. The question is, what do we do from here?"

* * *

Thirteen Kilometers from the JOSH-A Crater

Kira had pulled the injured GINN pilot from his damaged mobile suit and laid him out on the beach. The pilot was badly wounded. A piece of shrapnel had lodged itself in his abdomen, and his breathing was slow and labored as if he had to work to take every breath. Kira wasn't sure if he was going to survive. The pilot opened his eyes and caught a glimpse of the pilot and his mobile suit behind him. He stared at the brown haired boy.

"Were you… the pilot of that… white mobile suit?" he asked weakly between breaths.

"Yes," said Kira. "Now hold on. I'm gonna get you some help."

The pilot could only smile sadly at the boy's kindness, but he already knew his own fate.

"You should have… left me there… it would have been… quicker…" The pilot let out one last breath before the life drained from his eyes and his body went limp. Death had taken him.

Kira's eyes saddened, and his right hand clenched into a fist. With a cry of anger, he slammed it into the ground.

* * *

ZAFT Central Command, Aprilius City

Athrun and Erik stared around in confusion as they walked through the main lobby, which was bustling with confused activity and filled with furious whispers. It sounded like the Earth Forces had struck a major blow, but they weren't able to catch more than small snippets of conversation.

Michiru, who seemed to be resting and remained wheelchair-bound, was being pushed in front of Erik. He hadn't been given a chance to drop her off somewhere, and had been told that someone from Central Command would be able to take care of her for a short while, since the Chairman wanted to see Athrun and Erik immediately.

"Commander Yuki!' said Athrun, walking up to the ZAFT officer, Erik close on his heels. Ray Yuki had been a mentor to Athrun and the other redcoats of his class.

"Athrun Zala, Erik Saharin!" said Yuki, sounding surprised. "What are you two doing back here in the PLANTs?"

"I'll tell you," said Athrun, looking around. "But first, what's going on?"

"Operation Spitbreak seems to have failed," said Yuki. Athrun and Erik gasped, while Michiru shifted, seemingly woken up from her rest by this information. "We don't have the full details yet, but one initial report is saying… they were annihilated."

"You're kidding," said Athrun.

"I'm afraid I have one more piece of bad news for you," said Yuki, leaning closer, though both Erik and Michiru could still hear, if only barely. "Somebody, and we're not sure who yet, stole one of our top secret mobile suits, one of the new ones we were developing. But it seems that the person who gave him access to it was Lacus Clyne."

Athrun and Erik gasped, Athrun dropping his bag to the floor.

"The National Defense Committee is in a state of panic," finished Yuki.

"It's not… it can't be…" said Athrun. "I know Lacus… she wouldn't do this."

Unnoticed by the others, Michiru, who'd been watching Yuki from the corner of her exposed silver eye, lowered her head to conceal a sudden, dangerously familiar smirk.

* * *

**Author's Notes: The mystery grows. I solved seemingly all or most of Makoto's mysteries, only to pull the stunt I did. I wonder if it's the start of a trend? Whenever a character's secrets are unveiled, it's a sign that death is about to claim them? Who knows? Well, I do, but I'm certainly not telling. Regardless, we've got a new question to add to those of Michiru: why is she smirking about Lacus helping some apparently unknown "spy" steal a top-secret mobile suit?**

**I hope everyone also liked my portrayal of Shiho, as well as Liz's stunts. I'm sure many of you were also surprised that I had Kira capture Yzak instead of simply disabling him. That's actually something I've planned since day one as well, and one certainly has to wonder just where it will lead.**

**I also especially hope that everyone likes Petr Denisov. He doesn't do much but make a few speeches here, but I think they could be considered successes in their task to rally the defenders around the _Archangel_ and to their subsequent escape attempts. Strike Knight and Dauntless Angel... well, he certainly attributed good nicknames, if you ask me, though I still prefer Kira as the "White Angel of Freedom".**

**Also, here's a gift for everyone: **http:// maileesaeya dot webs dot com/ ** It's still in the works, but I intend to post information regarding my Gundam fics to that site, some of which will contain spoilers, so I'll only be posting if I've already reached that point in the individual stories already.**

**Alright, that's enough, for now. Everyone, please leave a review! Ja ne!  
**


	23. Phase 22: Justice, Conviction and Faith

**Another quick update. I'll try to keep this post short, as I must be getting to bed soon. Appointment early tomorrow.**

**Anyways, I really wanted to get this chapter up. I've been wanting to bring it out for awhile now, and my anticipation for each new chapter only grows with each post. I feel like one of my own fans...**

**Alright, the names of the last two mystery mobile suits are revealed in this chapter. I've been careful to guard them, though I did mention both names in the chapter where the _Archangel_ left Orb.**

**Also, for those who enjoyed the taste of Petr Denisov last chapter, we get some more of him here. I'm enjoying this character.**

**Alright, enough of that, on with the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: All I have to add is that I own the OC Nabiki Ombre and the two new Gundams introduced in this chapter.  
**

* * *

Phase Twenty-Two: For Justice, Conviction and Faith

May 8th, C.E. 71

* * *

Thirteen Kilometers from the JOSH-A Crater

Kira stood at the top of the hill where the Freedom and headless GINN stood, staring down at the crew of the _Archangel_ and what seemed to be the captains of the other ships that escaped JOSH-A. Yzak, it seemed, had been taken to the brig already.

As Kira proceeded down the hill, he watched the eyes of his friends. It was obvious that none were even certain he was there, perhaps suspecting he was actually some kind of ghost.

A small smile crossed his lips as he stopped in front of them.

"I guess I made it just in time," he said, breaking the silence and awkward glances he was receiving from all faces, familiar or otherwise.

"Is it really you, Kira?" asked Murrue, her voice shaky as if she was almost afraid he would disappear at any moment.

Kira nodded, the smile never leaving his face. "Yeah," he said. "It's me."

"Kira!" shouted Miriallia, running towards him with tears of joy rolling down her face. She hugged him as the other crewmembers gathered around him. They patted him on the back and shoulders as they gave him joyful greetings and thanks for saving them again. Someone even asked him if he was alive or a ghost.

"It seems that aren't an easy person to kill," said Victor as he placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "It's good to see you're still among the living, Kira. If you hadn't come when you did, we probably wouldn't have made it out of there."

"It was nothing," replied Kira, embarrassed at the praise he was given from the older man.

Victor chuckled at his reaction. "Always the humble one," he said.

"Kira?" came another voice, and Kira looked over to see Liz approaching. "What about Makoto? Did she… make it as well?"

Kira looked away, and the joyful mood almost instantly melted.

"I don't know," said Kira honestly. "Makoto's about as strong a person as you can find anywhere, but what I saw happening to the Dauntless before I blacked out… well, I don't know how she could've survived."

Liz choked back a sob.

"But…"

Everyone looked back at Kira, and there was a strength and certainty in his eyes that made everyone desperately want to believe his next words, though Liz would be the only one that did.

"I believe Makoto survived that," said Kira. "I don't know how she'd pull it off, but Makoto is too stubborn to just give up and die that easily. She's a person who decides her own fate, and what anyone else thinks about it be damned."

"Yeah," said Liz. "You're right Kira. Then… I'll believe."

"I hate to say it, but that strikes me as false hope," said Chris, shaking his head slightly.

"Enough on that depressing subject," said Victor. "At this point, I imagine everyone has a couple million questions for you."

"Nah, just a million," said Mu jokingly, trying to lighten the mood.

Kira nodded with a slight smile. "And I have plenty of questions for you guys as well," he said.

"Before any other questions, I'd like to extend my thanks to you, young man," said a man bearing the rank insignia of an Earth Forces captain, walking over to Kira. "Captain Petr Denisov, of the _Anastasia_. You saved the life of me, my crew, and the people of the other ships that escaped, and for that, you have my thanks as well."

"It was nothing," said Kira, accepting the hand. Denisov was a tall man, the picture of a precise military officer with impeccably styled, short black hair, a black mustache, and a build that was somewhat muscular, with a commanding presence that reminded Kira of Admiral Halberton.

"So…" said Mu, trying to sound casual. "Are you with ZAFT now?"

"No," said Kira without hesitation. "I was in the PLANTs for awhile, but I haven't joined ZAFT. However, I'm no longer with the Earth Forces either."

This reply caused a few to gasp, while others became confused. Only Murrue, Victor, and Denisov seemed to understand what he meant, nodding slightly in understanding.

"I understand," said Murrue. "There's some things we'll have to talk about." Murrue paused as she glanced at the winged mobile suit. "First, this machine of yours. What should we do with that?"

Kira's face turned serious at this point.

"If you're talking about maintenance and resupplying, there's no need for that right now," said Kira. "Because this machine is equipped with a Neutron Jammer Canceler."

Everyone was stunned by this revelation. Everyone had believed that the N-Jammers effects couldn't be canceled out, but there some among the group that weren't feeling shock. There were those that felt fear and horror at the N-Jammer Canceler and what it could mean for the war. The return of nuclear weapons was something they were all not looking forward to if it appears that way.

"N-Jammer Canceler?" asked Mu just as stunned as everyone else.

"You mean this machine is nuclear powered?" asked Jackie Tonomura. He just couldn't believe it but there in front of him stood the Freedom as proof.

"Wow. Where'd you get this thing Kira?" asked Chandra.

This was exactly what Kira wanted to avoid.

"If you start asking about specifics, you're not going to get anything from me and I'll have to leave," warned Kira, silencing any further questions they might have had. "And even if I had to fight you, I wouldn't let you take it from me. I was entrusted with it and I will take care of it." For a second, he saw the image of the pink-haired songstress he loved in the back of his mind, but he soon snapped out of it.

Murrue only sighed understandingly. "Very well then. You have my word that no one will touch your machine or the equipment inside." Murrue turned to the rest of the crew standing behind her. "Is that clear?!"

"Yes ma'am!" said the crew as one.

This seemed to please Kira. "Thank you for understanding."

Denisov smiled slightly at Kira.

"You are a man of great integrity," he said. "I can think of no one I'd trust more to keep such technology out of the wrong hands. As we saw today at Alaska, it is doubtful there are any in the upper echelons of the Atlantic Federation that could be trusted with such a terrible weapon."

"Thank you sir," said Kira. Denisov shook his head.

"Please, just call me by my name," he said. "You yourself just stated that you're not a soldier. Although, given the time you spent on that ship, I guess it might've become instinctive. You were the pilot of the Strike, weren't you?"

"Yes," said Kira.

"The Strike Knight, alive," said Denisov, shaking his head before glancing at the Freedom. "Well, maybe that nickname isn't so appropriate anymore."

"Well then," said Mu. "We should probably finish this up inside."

Kira nodded. "Yeah. I guess so."

"Before we go, Kira, I need you to do something for me," said Victor.

Kira eyed the man warily. "What?"

"Take the Talos from the _Archangel_'s hull and lay it out on the beach," he replied solemnly after seeing the way the boy reacted. "It's been damaged beyond our ability to repair it, even if we cannibalize that other GINN. I need to dispose of it properly."

Kira glanced at the damaged mobile suit still stranded on the hull. The way the older man said his request made it seem like he was saying goodbye to a friend. The boy could only nod.

"I understand."

It didn't take very long for the Freedom to carry the crippled GINN off of the _Archangel_ and lay it out on the beach a safe distance from the warship. The Freedom stepped away from the machine as Victor pulled out a detonator from his coat pocket. Kira knew what he was planning and he couldn't help but feel the magnitude of how much emotion Victor must be feeling right now.

"So long, Talos. You've been a truly great comrade," said Victor as he pushed the button on the detonator and watched as his mobile suit began its self-destruct sequence.

The Talos exploded in a great fireball, leaving only smoldering wreckage behind. Victor brushed a lone tear from his eye. The Talos wasn't his first mobile suit, but it was the one he had piloted the longest, ever since he'd been a part of the Alaric Team, in fact. It was the first of the Team's custom GINNs, as ordered by Commander Alaric himself. He had grown very attached to it, and it saddened him to see the Talos destroyed. However, it had been too badly damage to repair. Even had he still been a member of ZAFT and had access to their parts and supplies, most mechanics would tell him that he's better off getting a new machine than taking all the time and money to fix it up. So in the end, he had no other choice but to give the Talos its funeral pyre. Victor raised his hand, saluting his destroyed machine, his friend, and comrade.

Behind him, many others also saluted the Talos, and Denisov had the other Eurasian captains do the same. In the Freedom, Kira, too, saluted the GINN that had done so much to protect the ship and the people aboard it.

Of all those who saluted the machine, Victor, Kira, and Denisov stood out. All three gave it the salute of a ZAFT soldier.

* * *

ZAFT Central Command, Aprilius One

Athrun and Erik walked through the command center after passing by numerous ZAFT officers that were frantically rushing to get some scope on the situation. Commander Yuki had managed to find someone amidst all the confusion who could look after Michiru for a short while, freeing Erik to join Athrun in meeting with the latter's father.

The two entered the office of the PLANT Supreme Council Chairman and saluted. Athrun's father was at his desk discussing matters with a group of ZAFT officers.

"They used a Cyclops System. We found the remains of a large array under what's left of the base," one officer informed.

"What of Le Creuset?" asked Zala.

"He's with the group of survivors heading for Carpentaria but he hasn't officially reported in yet."

"When he reaches Carpentaria, I want a full report from him," ordered the Chairman.

"Yes sir," said the officer, saluting.

Another officer entered the room. "Sir. Eileen Canaver and Ian Kessel are requesting an emergency meeting on JOSH-A. They've gathered in the meeting chamber."

Patrick scowled slightly at the mention of Kessel's name. He was getting a migraine and it didn't help that more problems arose to complicate things more.

"I need an objective assessment on the situation," he said, ignoring the new arrival. "How many we lost, estimates on our remaining fighting strength, and where the hell is the Clyne family?!"

The officers nearly flinched at their chairman's outburst and almost stuttered his response. "W-we don't know, sir. It appears that Clyne had an escape route prepared in advance. It may take some time to find them."

"Inform the Justice Department," said Zala angrily. "Eileen Canaver, Ian Kessel, and the other council members that supported Clyne are to be detained immediately!"

"But sir–"

"Lacus Clyne was seen consorting with a spy. Now she and her father are missing and the plans to Operation Spitbreak's true target were leaked to the enemy!" said Zala, slamming his fists on the desk angrily. "It's obvious even to a child what happened! Clyne betrayed us! Now that bastard Kessel and the others are demanding answers from me! They're the ones to blame! Yes… In fact, they're probably the ones that are hiding them! Of course! That's the only explanation!"

Athrun was stunned by this order. His father had just removed virtually everyone on the Council that weren't his supporters. He may not know about politics completely, but this isn't something a Chairman should do with their power and authority.

Erik was equally stunned, but more by the man's words than the order—he'd never had a high opinion of Zala. Spitbreak's true target? What did that mean? And with the way he was behaving, it almost seemed like Zala's words were simply to rationalize the removal of all opposition on the Council. Just what the hell was really going on here?!

The officers nodded and walked out of the office, leaving the two redcoats with Athrun's father. For the first time in his life, Athrun felt nervous standing in front of him, and Erik also felt intimidated, despite growing up with a more than slightly insane father himself. Zala sat back down on his chair, rubbing his forehead as Athrun walked up to the desk.

"Father," he said.

"What did you call me?" his father growled. He was not in the best of moods.

Athrun flinched and quickly corrected himself. "My apologies, Supreme Council Chairman Zala." Athrun and Erik both quickly saluted.

Patrick Zala stared at his son with cold eyes. "Do you understand how serious the situation is?"

"Yes…" said Athrun. "But still. I can't believe what I'm hearing. Lacus aiding a spy? It's just not possible."

"Look at this," said his father, pushing a button on his desk. A panel on the wall opened and revealed a large screen. The image of a mobile suit appeared. It was the very same mobile suit that flew passed his shuttle as they were heading back to the PLANTs. Standing before the machine were two people with their backs to the camera. The first was a brown-haired person in a ZAFT Red uniform. They couldn't recognize him, but there was definitely a sense of familiarity coming from him. Erik thought it might have something to do with the seeming energy between the two, but he doubted others noticed, as he'd always been somewhat sensitive to such things. Next to the brunet in the video was a girl in a dress with pink hair. The girl turned to face the camera seconds before the feed was cut. There was no doubt about who it was. It was Lacus.

"This was taken by a security camera at a military factory. The Freedom was stolen immediately after this was taken," said Zala. "Why would anyone accuse her unless the evidence was beyond dispute? You may think it's not possible, but these are the facts. It goes without saying that you're engagement to Lacus Clyne is over. It hasn't been officially announced, but she's being treated as a fugitive wanted for treason."

Athrun grimaced. Treason… He had hoped that it was mistake or some nightmare or even some kind of bad joke! Or that it was an impostor posing as Lacus, but there was no denying it now. She had helped a spy steal a new, prototype mobile suit.

Erik wasn't nearly surprised. He was getting bad vibes from Zala, _familiar_ bad vibes, the sort he used to get from his father.

"The next mission for you two will be to recover the stolen X10A Freedom and eliminate the pilot as well as all persons and places that he might have come in contact with," said Zala, turning off the screen. "You will be joined on this mission by another Special Forces operative, Nabiki Ombre." Erik stifled a gasp of surprise. "Pick up your new machines from the Armory and leave as soon as the preparations are complete. Athrun, you've been assigned the X09A Justice. Saharin, you've been assigned the X15A Conviction." Behind them, they heard footsteps, and turned to see a female redcoat with reddish-brown hair and brown eyes had stepped out of the shadows, previously unnoticed by both of them. "Nabiki here has been assigned the X16A Faith. If the Freedom cannot be recovered, you are authorized to destroy it."

Zala's orders surprised them both. Eliminating the pilot, they understood, but eliminating all that came into contact with it as well?

"Eliminating everyone and everything that it came in contact with? Isn't that a little extreme?" asked Athrun. Behind them, the door opened, and a grim-looking Yuri Amalfi stepped inside.

"Those machines, the X10A Freedom, X09A Justice, X15A Conviction and X16A Faith, are equipped with N-Jammer Cancelers."

The faces of the two redcoats became white.

"They have N-Jammer Cancelers?! Impossible!" said Athrun, horrified at the secret of the new machines. "Why did you build them?! The PLANTs made the decision to abandon nuclear technology!"

"If we want to win this war, then we'll need that power," replied Zala coldly. "Your mission is extremely important. Give it your utmost effort. Now go."

* * *

The _Archangel_'s Bridge

A Short While Later

"So that was their strategy?" asked Kira once Mu had explained what happened, though it sounded more like a statement than a question.

"From what we can tell," replied Mu.

"And they decided not to tell us a thing about it," added Murrue.

"Or anyone else for that matter," said Denisov. "A lot of good men and women died because of those bastards."

"It's obvious that Alliance Command knew ahead of time that ZAFT's true target was Alaska, and for quite some time, or they wouldn't have been able to set the Cyclops under the base like that," added Victor. Naturals weren't the best hackers when it comes to cracking codes made by Coordinators so there was only one other way they had known about this. "Someone tipped them off."

Kira recalled when he first learned of the attack on Alaska, and scowled.

"The ZAFT Supreme Council didn't know either," he said. "Patrick Zala purposely deceived them about the target."

This stunned Victor. "What?!" he exclaimed. "Then that can only mean that the one who informed them was very, _very _high up. High enough that it would be impossible for a spy from the Earth Alliance to achieve such a rank. But that would mean that they were someone in ZAFT that wanted this massacre to happen." Then the realization hit him and his eyes widened. "My god… That means… Damn it, this one time I'd hoped John was wrong, but the Commander was right!"

Everyone stared at the man. They did not get the picture and he wasn't explaining himself.

"What do you mean?" asked Kira. "Right about what?"

Victor sighed. "It's a long, long story," he said wearily. "And if I'm right, which I pray to whatever god might be listening that I'm not, then this war just took a turn for the worst in more ways than one. But at the moment, I need to verify a few things first before I can say for certain. I don't know what you're planning, but depending on what it is, I may need to ask for one of the Skygraspers or a fighter from one of Captain Denisov's ships so I can get in touch with some of my contacts and find out what, exactly, has happened."

"That raises another question. Just what are we going to do now?" asked Chris.

"Now…" said Murrue, uncertain of her own answer.

"We haven't been able to raise Command due to the interference from the N-jammers," said Romero. "Should we make repairs on our own and head for Panama?"

Mu snorted. "Oh really? And you think they'll be happy to see us?" he said, voice thick with sarcasm. "We know far too much for our own good."

"They'll probably say that we disobeyed orders and deserted in the face of the enemy. They'd court marshal us and then lock up," added Murrue, angry at the whole situation all of them were caught up in. "It's becoming harder and harder to understand who and what we're fighting for."

Lacus's words echoed in Kira's mind. He understood what he needed to do and it was time for them to realize as well.

"Miss Murrue," said Kira. "What is it that you think we should be fighting against? To end this war? Whatever it is, I believe that it's time for us to start fighting against it."

She stared at him a moment before replying.

"I don't know," she said. "I honestly don't know. But at the moment, it isn't with the Earth Forces." The Earth Alliance wouldn't welcome them back, and she wouldn't be surprised if ZAFT was still coming after them. There was one other place she could think of and it wasn't too far from their current location. "Set course for Orb. We'll see if they're willing to help us."

"Good idea. If they're not willing to help us, then I should be able to contact the Junk Guild to lend us a hand with repairs," said Victor.

"Any other suggestions?" Murrue asked the people gathered on the bridge but none said anything. "Very well then. Set course for Orb."

"We'll be joining you," said Denisov, nodding out the window towards the _Anastasia_ and other survivors. "We've only got two or three fighters left. I'll ask for a volunteer or two to fly and contact the Eurasian military as soon as we've got the fighters refueled. I don't know if Eurasian Command was ignorant to the Atlantic Federation's plan or not. If they weren't, then we'll be able to tell them. If they were… well, I don't want to lead everyone out there to their deaths that way."

"Which is why you asked for volunteers," said Victor with a nod. "Makes sense."

"I admit, I don't even like that risk, after what those pilots have been through," said Denisov. "We recovered a fair number of pilots over the course of the battle, but have little in the way of aircraft, which is just going to make them even more uncomfortable. There's nothing that a true pilot hates more than being caught up in a fight and not being able to fly out and do something about it."

"I understand that," said Mu.

Mention of pilots had brought something back to Kira.

"Miss Murrue, besides Yzak, have you captured any more members of the Le Creuset Team since the Strike was destroyed?" asked Kira suddenly, surprising several people.

"Yeah, Saul and Dearka," said Chris. "The Surge and Buster. Erik and Athrun weren't captured, but I don't think we've heard anything from Orb, so its possible the Union picked them up. They may even have found Makoto, though I think they probably would've contacted us if they had."

Kira thought about it for a moment, remembering the sight of the Surge and Buster in the hangar earlier, before his face began twitching. Soon, he couldn't hold it anymore and started laughing.

"What's so funny?" asked Mu irritably.

"Not much," said Kira, shaking his head. "Chris, I don't know if you saw it, but the Dauntless annihilated the Resolute during that battle. I just think it's funny how we've captured every one of the pilots whose machines were largely intact—even the Blitz had a largely intact torso—and the two pilots that _haven't_ been captured are the two whose machines have been utterly destroyed."

Everyone else thought about this for a moment before they all began chortling as well. Kira shook his head.

"Well, I need to talk to those pilots anyways," said Kira, walking towards the door. Murrue gave a slight nod, and began giving orders as Kira left the bridge with Denisov right behind him.

"I understand what you said earlier," he said. "About what we should be fighting for. More than twenty years, I've fought in the defense of Eurasia, and when I was able to influence my position, I made sure I continued to do so, never partaking in any offensive action. Truth be told, if it weren't for the fact that I had so many people there, I'd have been happy to have ZAFT capture Alaska. It might've just been able to end this war."

"You know, the last Eurasian commander I met wanted to draft me and my friends and learn all of the secrets of the _Archangel_ and her mobile suits," said Kira. Denisov nodded.

"I heard something about that," he said. "Well, Garcia always was an arrogant bastard. I think he somehow convinced himself that the reason Artemis was ignored was a combination of the Umbrella shield and his own 'tactical genius' scaring the enemy away, rather than the fact that Artemis was utterly useless."

Kira couldn't help but smile. He liked this man. "That sounds like a good description for him," said Kira.

"Yes, his loss was one I was happy to hear about," commented Denisov. "Well, I should get back to my ship. I'll see you when we get to Orb, Mr. Yamato."

Kira nodded. "See you there," he said. With that, the two parted ways, Denisov heading to the hangar to leave the ship, Kira heading for the brig.

* * *

ZAFT Supreme Council Meeting Chamber

A group of armed soldiers entered the council chamber, catching the moderates by surprise.

"What is the meaning of this?" demanded Eileen.

"I'm sorry, ma'am," said the officer in charge. "But you, Councilors Kessel, Kasim, Jesek, and Elsman are to be placed under arrest by orders of Chairman Zala."

Many council members were stunned. Patrick Zala was arresting all of those that had opposed him and his supporters, save for Yuri Amalfi, who'd become a radical after the death of his son, removing any opposition to Patrick Zala's faction and making him the undisputed ruler of ZAFT and the PLANTs.

Ian chuckled from his seat. "So… Zala must either be desperate or insane to pull such a stunt. He's forced my hand, so I shall force his, " he mumbled and stood up, reaching into the pocket of his coat.

All of the soldiers aimed their rifles at him.

"Do me a favor. Tell Patrick Zala, that he's gone too far this time and that I'll be coming for him. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But make no mistake, I'm coming for him," he said, pulling his hand out of his pocket.

To the surprise of everyone in the room, he held his hand up at the soldiers, holding it like a mock gun. Before anyone could react, two of the ZAFT soldiers in the rear of the group, Clyne supporters, secretly dropped a pair of smoke grenades in their group. The smoke grenades went off filling the room with smoke. Chaos reined as everyone tried to figure out what happened. There was the sound of footsteps, punches, and bodies hitting the ground. When the smoke cleared and everyone could see again, four guards, including the two that dropped the grenades, were unconscious on ground and Ian was gone.

"Damn it!" swore the officer. "Don't let him escape! Find him!"

* * *

Ian Kessel entered his office with his assistant. Sitting on his chair was a ZAFT officer's uniform, a pair of sunglasses and a blond, men's wig. He quickly changed and handed his clothes to his assistant.

"Hide these and get out of here," he told the young woman.

"Yes sir." She nodded before leaving.

Ian pulled out a suitcase from under his desk and pulled out for his cell phone. "It's me. Zala's arrested Clyne's supporters on the Council. Fortunately, my escape plan so far has gone off without a hitch. Warn my wife about what's happened. And my daughter as soon as possible. If I'm not at the meeting spot in two hours, then I've been caught. Until then." He closed the phone and left his office.

The whole building was in an uproar. Soldiers were searching for him. They clearly thought that only an idiot would return to their office after that stunt and they had only just now decided to check his office. "Sir, what were you doing in there?" one of the several soldiers present asked.

"What does it look like?" he said, lowering the tone of his voice to sound different. "A possible spy is on the loose and I was ordered to search his office for an incriminating evidence which is what I found. I must get these documents to the Justice Department. Now! Or would you like to be the one to tell Chairman Zala that you've been holding up an investigation into the traitors within our own government?"

"No sir. Sorry sir!" stuttered the soldier nervously as he and his comrades stepped aside.

Ian walked past them. _So far, so good. Let's hope I don't run into any soldiers that have a backbone_, he thought as he headed for the exit.

* * *

_Archangel_ Brig

"So let me get this straight," said Yzak, rubbing his head in confusion. "Nicol survived on account of the Strike's sword missing the cockpit by a meter and then being rescued by the legged ship. Saul and Dearka, you guys were captured during that last battle. Not only that, but Kira, Makoto and Chris are the pilots of the Strike, Dauntless and Raven?"

"Well, former pilots anyway," said Dearka. "I'm sure you know about it already, but Kira and Makoto disappeared in that sortie, presumed dead."

"Kira's alive," said Yzak, shocking the others. "He's the one that captured me. He just showed up during Spitbreak in a new machine and blasted through _everything_ that tried to get at him. He took several dozen mobile suits out of the battle without destroying them in an instant! We were like flies next to that new machine of his." The other three gasped in shock of the described power, and glanced between them. They knew Kira was good, possibly the legged ship's best, but what Yzak just described seemed ridiculous.

Yzak sighed, leaning back. "Can't believe Kira was the one who gave me this scar," he said softly. His reputation as an ace pilot had been ruined by that, but…

Kira was a friend. Yzak may have been the coldest of the ZAFT pilots, that day in Orb, but there was no denying that he'd parted with those people as friends. To think that they'd been crewmembers and pilots for the legged ship…

"That's not all," said Nicol suddenly. "Turns out that Athrun and Kira have been friends since they were just kids."

"What?" gasped Yzak. But he couldn't deny it. It all made far too much sense! That's why Athrun was always so reluctant when fighting Kira! But that meant…

"You mean he _knew_?!" said Yzak, suddenly angry. "Why didn't he tell us?"

"Why do you think?" said Dearka with a snort. "You and I were definitely too hot-headed at the time to be understanding at all. Athrun could see that, even if he was blind, deaf _and _stupid. Also, he didn't want us to worry about his feelings on the matter. After Orb, he didn't want us to face the difficulty of fighting people we knew, people we considered friends, like he had too."

Yzak backed down at that. They were right, of course. Then, he started to chuckle.

"I could never beat him in the Strike, and with that new machine, I know I'll never beat him," said Yzak. He reached up and touched his scar. "First thing I do when this war is over is get rid of this thing."

Hearing that, his friends couldn't help but smile.

"What about Athrun and Erik?" asked Saul. He couldn't care less about Zane.

"They're heroes," said Yzak. "Both their machines were destroyed, and Athrun was credited with being the one to actually take out both the Strike and Dauntless, but Erik's contributions were deemed critical in a way the rest of us just couldn't match. They've both been awarded the Order of the Nebula, promotions to the Special Forces, _and_ they've been given our latest prototype mobile suits." Yzak paused as the others smiled proudly, remembering something.

"Come to think of it, Erik came back with a badly injured girl after that battle," he said. The others leaned forward, intrigued.

"You think it might be Makoto?" asked Nicol eagerly. Yzak shook his head sadly.

"No," he said. "From what I gathered, it seems the cockpit of the Dauntless was destroyed by Athrun's stunt. Also, she had silver eyes rather than green. While her wounds _are_ consistent with what I'd expect if I were caught in something like what hit the Dauntless, I still doubt it. Her name's actually Michiru, but that's about all she's told anyone about herself, at least, the last time I saw them."

"I see," came Kira's voice suddenly, and the ZAFT pilots all turned to see the brunet enter, wearing an Earth Forces uniform, shocking all four of them, despite knowing he was among the crew. Nicol had seen him on the ship before, but had thought him dead not long after. "When I heard you mention her, I'd hoped… well…"

"Don't worry, we understand," said Dearka. "Great to see you, Kira, though I wish it wasn't like this."

"Glad to see you're alive," added Nicol, with a smile. Saul shook his head.

"And that new machine Yzak described to us," he said. "Wow. I guess ZAFT is screwed, going up against you." Kira shook his head at that.

"I'm not part of the Earth Forces anymore," he said. "I'm just wearing this uniform because, frankly, I don't have anything else available, and I got used to wearing it."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," said Dearka. "I'm feeling kinda uncomfortable myself, going so long without wearing that uniform. It's taken some getting used too."

Kira shrugged slightly in agreement as he walked between the cells, stopping next to Yzak's.

"Yzak…" started Kira, but the silver-haired pilot cut him off.

"Don't," he said. "Don't say you're sorry. I think I understand why you did it, now, and to be honest, I'm glad you pulled it off. I'd rather have my reputation hurt than lose friends, even if I didn't know them at the time. My reputation can be rebuilt. But if a friend of mine dies, well… that's the end of it."

Kira smiled at Yzak. "Thanks," he said. "Friends?"

"Yeah, as much as we can be friends," said Yzak. "So, care to tell us what's going on?"

"The _Archangel_ is headed for Orb," said Kira. "Along with the other Earth Forces vessels that managed to escape. We'll be seeking refuge there, though to be honest, I would've acted independently if I had too."

"Yeah, that stunt with the Cyclops was pretty sick of them," said Yzak in agreement. The others snapped around, staring at him.

"Cyclops?" breathed Saul. Dearka swore.

"You mean those Earth Forces bastards used a Cyclops System? Were they planning to sacrifice their own people?!" said Dearka.

"Someone leaked information on Spitbreak's true target," said Kira. "Even the Council didn't know about it. Victor seems to have an idea of who it was, but he hasn't said anything yet."

"Victor, that's that mercenary from the Alaric Team, right?" asked Dearka. Kira nodded.

"Apparently, Commander Alaric himself has been suspicious of someone for awhile," said Kira. "Whatever it is, if its correct, then he believes that the entire war has just taken a universal turn for the worst."

A stray thought suddenly occurred to Yzak, and his eyes widened.

"No… can't be…" he said, drawing everyone's attention. Then, he spun around and spat on the ground. "That bastard!" he said.

"What? What is it?" asked Saul.

"Commander Le Creuset said he scouted JOSH-A's interior," said Yzak, turning around to face everyone again. "I even saw a captured Alliance soldier, briefly. He was inside JOSH-A. He_ must_ have learned something about the Cyclops, or at least that something was wrong. That bastard let the Cyclops hit us!"

Kira's eyes darkened. "Le Creuset," he said quietly. He turned around. "I'll be back later," he said. "I need to talk to Commander La Flaga and Victor about this." Before stepping through the door, though, Kira paused, and turned to face Saul.

"Oh, and Saul?" he said. "I met your father in the PLANTs." Saul gasped. "He helped me get the Freedom so that I could save my friends. He was pretty angry about Spitbreak's real target. He wanted me to tell you something, if I found you."

"What?" asked Saul quietly.

"He said to tell you that he was proud of you."

* * *

Aprilius One Prototype Mobile Suit Hangar X09A

Three Days Later

Athrun watched as crews worked on getting the ZGMF-X09A Justice ready. He could see the side of the nuclear reactor, its red and yellow warning sign clear for all to see. Even seeing it with his own eyes, Athrun still couldn't believe it. A machine powered by nuclear energy. The PLANTs had all agreed to abandon nuclear technology, because of the danger it represented. Yet here they were working on a mobile suit powered by a nuclear reactor. And it wasn't the only one. There were at least three more, and judging from the model numbers, possibly another four he hadn't heard about! His father's words still echoed in his mind.

"_If we want to win this war, then we'll need that power."_

But just how would they use nuclear power to win the war? With just four to eight mobile suits? That didn't seem possible, regardless of how powerful these machines were. Then what was his father referring to?

"It's so sad. Nicol had always loved her songs so very much," said Yuri Amalfi, distracting Athrun from his thoughts.

Athrun hadn't told him that Nicol might still be alive. Commander Le Creuset had advised him not to tell Nicol's parents that he might still be alive, because if he was wrong, then it would only get their hopes up before shattering it, and they'd end up reliving the same pain all over again. So Athrun had decided to keep quiet about it

"I'm very sorry about what happened to Nicol," said Athrun. It was all he could say without giving Yuri potentially false hope.

Yuri nodded. "I know. It's alright," he said, his tone tired and weary. "I'm sorry too. I understand why it happened. This is a war after all. And you did avenge him."

A fresh wave of guilt hit Athrun as memories of Kira and the Strike's destruction reemerged from the back of his mind, accompanied by the knowledge that Makoto and the Dauntless had been caught by the explosion as well. The guilt and sorrow was as fresh today as it was the day he killed them.

"But when there are young people like you and Nicol out there fighting on the battlefield, sacrificing yourself for all of us, I can't fathom how someone could betray us. Betray you like that. That's what angers me more than anything else. We've already sacrificed too much!" said Yuri, his face a mixture of grief and anger. "And that's why we decided to equip the new models with N-Jammer Cancelers."

Athrun's thoughts turned to Lacus. His mind was still plagued with questions and doubts about her. Why did she betray ZAFT? Why give a machine equipped with a Neutron Jammer Canceler to a spy? The Lacus he knew wouldn't do such a thing. But he had seen the footage. It was her. There was no question about it. Then why had she done such a thing?

"Should this technology fall into the hands of the Earth Forces, they'd be more than willing to use nuclear weapons again. We must prevent that from happening, at costs!" Yuri turned to Athrun. "I'm counting on you Athrun."

Athrun's gaze was fixed squarely on the Justice. He wasn't going to allow another Bloody Valentine to happen. Even if he had to wipe out entire bases to prevent the N-Jammer Canceler from being used to bring nuclear warheads back into the war.

* * *

Aprilius One Prototype Mobile Suit Hangar X15A

Erik stared at the ZGMF-X15A Conviction. It was unlike any machine he'd ever seen before. He'd taken a look at the specs, and doubted that even all of the G-weapons together could've hoped to match the Conviction alone, let alone all of these nuclear-powered machines united!

"This is one weapon that shouldn't exist," he said to himself solemnly. Thoughts drifted to Michiru, and the debt he owed to a certain, deceased red-haired nemesis. "Strange how I only find something to fight for now that I have it."

His thoughts then turned to Nabiki. He hadn't known she'd joined ZAFT, and she was a member of the Special Forces no less! Erik didn't know much about Nabiki's machine, but from the snippets he overheard, a lot of people thought it was the best they'd ever produce. While he was sure that it was simply exaggeration or empty boasting, he shivered at the possibility that it was true.

For if it was true, and the Conviction was anything to go by, then there was no doubt as to how such unprecedented power would be used.

This left Erik with two problems. The first, of course, was Nabiki and the Faith. A less obvious problem was Michiru. What should he do about her? He certainly didn't have room in the Conviction's cockpit to bring her along, nor would he ever be allowed too. But he couldn't simply leave her here…

That's when a thought occurred to him. A solution to both problems in one fell swoop—with a possibility for an added bonus Erik had been seeking for many years now.

* * *

Clyne Residence

A Few Hours Later

Athrun wandered through the backyard of Clyne mansion. The place looked like a tornado had torn through the area. The soldiers and investigators hadn't cared about the house and its yard in their search for Lacus and her father. He had come here, hoping for answers. But it didn't look like he was going to find any.

Athrun remembered all the times he had visited Lacus here. Happier times. Now those memories seemed old and faded, while memories of the Bloody Valentine, the destruction of the Blitz and his near-suicidal attack that destroyed the Strike and Dauntless—that _killed_ Kira and Makoto—stayed as crystal clear as the day they happened.

Suddenly, Athrun heard the sounds of movement behind him. He spun around, reaching for the sidearm in his coat. But he stopped the second he saw what it was. A bouncing, mechanical pink ball. Haro. The very first Haro he gave to Lacus. She loved all her Haros, but the first one was especially important. And she wouldn't have forgotten about it. She would have taken it with her.

"Haro!" it shouted as it bounced around.

Athrun reached out for it, but Haro bounced away from him, forcing to him chase after it. "Haro! Come back!" Athrun called out as he ran.

"I don't wanna!" chirped Haro as it bounced away, heading for the flower arch.

It was here that Athrun finally caught the pink machine. As it continued to chirp and buzz, Athrun looked around at the arch. The flowers that had once covered the arch had been torn down, leaving a white skeletal frame in its place. He remembered the white roses that grew in the arch. Lacus had once told that they were planted so she'd always remember where she first sang in public.

Then something clicked in the back of mind. What if Lacus hadn't forgotten the Haro? What if she had left it behind for him to find? That means that she would have left it behind with a message for him or her location. At that moment, the final piece snapped into place. Haro had led him to the flower arch. The only place where the white roses had been planted.

Athrun knew where she was. He took off, still holding Haro. He was going to get answers from her one way or the other.

Athrun didn't notice that two separate groups were trailing him.

* * *

White Symphony Theater, Junius Five

An Hour and a Half Later

Athrun parked his car and stepped out into the rain. He glanced at the Theater's sign. _White Symphony_ was written on the sign with a pair of white roses. The theater had been closed months ago and was slated for demolition. But Lacus had been leading a campaign for the theater to be restored, halting the plans for demolishing it for the time being. In the meantime, it was abandoned. There were no shows there. Nor any reason for anyone to be there. The prefect place to hide.

Athrun entered the theater. The whole building was in a terrible state of disrepair. Old posters from the theater's last performance, a concert by Lacus, were still on the walls. Debris littered the floor. A layer of dust rested on the floor and walls. He wondered if it was still structurally safe. Regardless of whether it was safe or not, he continued further into the theater, pulling out his gun as walked. He wasn't sure what he was walking into, but he was going to be prepared for whatever he encountered.

Then he heard something. A voice singing. He couldn't make out the song or the singer's voice that well. But it was female and it was coming from the auditorium. Athrun entered the auditorium and there, sitting on the stage and singing, surrounded by debris, was Lacus.

He started walking towards the stage as Lacus continued to sing, seemingly unaware of his arrival. Athrun found himself looking back at everything that had happened since Heliopolis. Discovering Kira in cockpit of the Strike. Miguel's death at Kira's hands, the destruction of Heliopolis, that first battle alongside Zane, Chris returning Lacus to him. The battles with Kira, Makoto, and all the others, the destruction of the Blitz and the loss of Nicol, his grueling battle with Kira and Kira's death. But most of all, he remembered Cagalli's words to him after that battle.

"_Someone's killed for killing another! Then that guy is killed for killing him! How is that twisted thinking ever going to bring peace?!"_

Athrun wished that none of this would have happened. His mother, gone in the Bloody Valentine. Kira, Makoto and possibly Nicol, all dead as well. Saul and Dearka missing, presumed dead. Lacus, a traitor and a criminal. Everything just seemed to be falling apart.

"No problem! No problem! Lacus!" shouted Haro, bringing Athrun out of his thoughts and ending Lacus's singing.

Haro then jumped out of Athrun's hand, bouncing off the ground towards Lacus. Lacus caught it in her hands and smiled.

"Why hello there Mr. Pink," said Lacus, turning to Athrun. "I was certain that you'd be the one to find him and bring him here."

Athrun climbed onto the stage. He needed answers. "Explain yourself Lacus," he demanded. "What have you done?"

"I'm sure you've heard all about. That's why you've come here, isn't it?" replied Lacus, her smile still on her face.

Athrun felt himself getting angry. He wanted answers!

"Is what they're saying about you true, Lacus?" he said. "Did you really provide assistance to an enemy spy?! Answer me!"

"I did not help a spy," She answered calmly. "I simply provided Kira with a newer, better sword, because I felt that he had need of it now."

Athrun's eye widened in shock. That was impossible! Kira was dead. He killed Kira himself. She was using Kira to trick him!

"You're lying!" he shouted, pointing the gun at her. "Kira's dead! I… I…"

"Killed him with your own hands?" supplied Lacus coldly, her eyes filling with an unmistakable fury as Athrun faltered. "I assure that he's still very much alive."

"That's impossible!" shouted Athrun. "I saw it with my own eyes! There's no way he could have survived! What kind of trick is this, Lacus?!"

Lacus shook her head.

"No," she said. "It's no trick. Reverend Malchio's orphanage is located in the Marshall Islands. Kira wandered, delirious, into the garden after the battle. I brought him here with me when I returned with Reverend Malchio. Then Kira told me about what happened between the two of you. Don't you believe me? Do you even believe what you see with your own eyes? Haven't you seen how things have changed? On the battlefield, or even here now that you've returned?"

Athrun couldn't deny that things had changed. The N-Jammer Cancelers and the PLANTs using nuclear power were just the latest changes he had seen going through ZAFT. Changes that Athrun had to admit, he didn't feel right with.

"What is it that you're fighting for? Is it because of that medal you received? Or your father's orders?" asked Lacus, her tone and demeanor completely changing, becoming serious. "Because if that is so, then you'll likely find yourself fighting Kira as an enemy again. And I as well."

"Lacus…"

Lacus stood up and walked towards him. "And if you see me as an enemy, then you might as well shoot me now," said Lacus. "Athrun Zala, soldier of ZAFT!"

Athrun knew he couldn't just shoot her. This was the girl that he had been arranged to marry. He lowered his weapon completely and hung his shoulders. How had this whole mess come to pass?

Suddenly, a group of armed men in black suits entered the auditorium, they're guns trained on Lacus. Athrun pulled Lacus behind him and pointed his own gun at them, unsure of what they here for.

"You have our thanks, Athrun Zala," said the leader of the group as he approached them.

"What's going on here?" demanded Athrun.

"Naturally, her fiancé would know her best and where best to find her. You've saved us a great deal of time," replied the man. "Now please step away from her. She's a fugitive accused of treason. We've been authorized to use lethal force if necessary. Are sure you want to protect her?"

Athrun was stunned. Lethal force? That couldn't be right. His father wouldn't order such an extreme measure. Would he?

"Those orders can't be right," said Athrun, his gun still pointed at the men.

At that very moment, a gunshot rang out. Instinctively, Athrun pulled Lacus behind a large piece of debris. One of the suits fell to the ground. More shots rang out. A number of the men in suits were gunned by their unseen attackers. They fired back, but their attackers were hidden in the shadows of the auditorium. Those on the stage, however, turned their attention to Athrun and Lacus, pinning them behind the ruins. Gunfire opened up on the stage, killing the men on the stage and finishing the last of them off. Armed ZAFT soldiers entered the auditorium, checking to make sure the first group of armed men were dead. A pair of armed men stepped onto the stage. The first was a young man in a green ZAFT uniform with maroon hair. The second was older with black hair and wearing a suit. Athrun instantly recognized him. He was Ian Kessel, Saul's father and the only Council member that supported Siegel Clyne that wasn't in custody.

"It's all clear," said Ian. "You can come out now."

Lacus walked out from the debris. "Thank you Mr. Kessel," she said with a smile. "Did Reverend Malchio's shuttle manage to take off?"

"Yes," answered the younger, maroon haired man. "He's on his way to Earth now."

Lacus nodded. "Thank you." She turned to Athrun. "Goodbye Athrun. And thank you again for bringing Mr. Pink back to me. You'll find Kira on Earth. I suggest you go there and have a talk with him. He is after all, your friend."

"More will come," added Ian. "It'd be wise for us to leave as quickly as possible."

"We're already here," came a female voice suddenly. Everyone spun around, many guns training on the entrance as Nabiki Ombre entered ahead of Erik Saharin, who was pushing Michiru's wheelchair in front of him. Nabiki raised her gun, training it on Lacus.

"I wonder who the bigger traitor is," she said. "Miss Lacus or Committee Chairman Kessel. Or is it Athrun Zala, who failed to take the opportunity to eliminate Miss Clyne? Maybe the soldiers who fought against these assassins?" The sound of a gun's safety clicking off caused Nabiki to smirk. "Are you really going to shoot me?" She turned her head to look over her shoulder, directly into the barrel of the gun Erik was pointing at her. "You'd really kill your own sister, onii-san?"

Everyone present was surprised by her words. Athrun and Ian both gasped in shock, as Michiru shifted to watch the events with her piercing silver eye. Erik and Nabiki were siblings?

"You're not my sister, Umbra," said Erik simply, face twisting into a grimace as he spoke the new name. Nabiki's face twisted into a dangerous smirk.

"Maybe, but if you kill me, she's lost forever," she said in response. The tension in the air was palpable. But Erik's own smirk caused Nabiki's to falter slightly.

"I know," he said simply. "But she certainly would rather be dead than see someone like Miss Lacus Clyne dead."

"I suppose you're right," said Nabiki, lowering the gun, causing many to sigh in relief. "But then, what about yourself? We come from the same dysfunctional family, after all."

"Our fathers weren't dysfunctional," said Erik, grimacing. He hadn't lowered his own gun. "It was our mother who was dysfunctional."

"Funny," said Nabiki. "Kaa-san always came across as fairly normal to me."

"You never heard the stories of when she was younger," said Erik. "You did know, of course, that a big part of our mother's motivation to marry a bastard like your father was to take care of me. Did you never wonder how _my_ father died?" Erik's smirk twisted further. "He was murdered. By the woman he loved and who loved him. By the woman who was bearing his child." Everyone gasped, even Nabiki. "We both seem to have gotten a few of her mental defects. For instance, did you know that the death of our parents was actually a murder-suicide on her part? She thought it would be for the best. Crazy, right?"

"So, it was her fault that father died," said Nabiki, voice twisting with disgust. Erik smirked.

"Oh yes," he said, turning his head to face Lacus directly. "Miss Lacus, I have a favor to ask of you."

"Yes?" said Lacus quietly, her voice still carrying far in the silent auditorium.

"Take care of her," said Erik, who spun the pistol and pointed it directly at his own head, drawing more gasps as several people rushed forward to stop him, including Nabiki.

"Onii-chan, no!" screamed Nabiki, suddenly sounding much younger.

_BANG!!!_

The gunshot was followed by shocked silence.

* * *

Aprilius One Prototype Mobile Suit Launch Hangar

May 17th, C.E. 71

It had been six days since the events at the White Symphony Theater. Athrun sighed slightly as he climbed into the Justice and began to start up the systems. That had been… well, more than a little frightening, if he was honest with himself. Lacus's admission, shortly after the confrontation between Erik and Nabiki, that she was in love with Kira, hadn't really surprised Athrun. After all, their feelings had been obvious in Orb.

Silently, despite his orders to the contrary, Athrun swore he wouldn't hurt Kira, even if he had to destroy the Freedom.

"Sir, all systems are functioning, she's good to go," said a mechanic floating next to the entrance of the Conviction's cockpit as the pilot floated into the seat.

"Thank you," said the pilot, lowering the seat into the cockpit.

Elsewhere, the final redcoat stared up at the Faith, her face hidden by the reflection of her visor.

"Faith?" she questioned softly. "Is this… fate? No… fate says I died, after all. I guess mom's looking after me. Faith… let's go."

With that, she floated into the seat and lowered it into the cockpit. The three redcoats listened as the flight controllers gave them approval for launch.

"_T minus five,_" came the voice of the head flight controller. "_May our Justice, Conviction and Faith have the__ divine__ protection of the stars._"

"Athrun Zala, Justice launching!" said Athrun, hitting the controls as the red mobile suit launched.

"Erik Saharin, Conviction, taking off!" said Erik as his black machine leapt upwards.

"Nabiki Ombre, Faith, let's go!" said the final redcoat, allowing her silver-white machine to take flight, opening her left eye to reveal a shining orb of silver.

* * *

**Author's Notes: The following was the "clue" from awhile back. I'm sure you can all see it now, but the extra blind, there's an underlining.  
**

"Don't worry," said Makoto, returning the hug. "I promise you, I _will_ live through this." There was such conviction in Makoto's voice that the others couldn't help but believe her.

"Don't forget you're training," said Misuumi, placing a fond hand on Makoto's head. "And most importantly, don't forget the teachings of Shinsei Tsurugi. Have faith in yourself and your friends."

**I did not lie when I said you'd need the luck of the lottery or some sort of foreknowledge to spot it. It was kinda fun "teasing" everyone though.**

**We get to see some more of Erik here, too. He has a sister?! I didn't know that! And what the hell kind of dysfunctional family does he come from?! No wonder he thinks he's got problems.**

**Alright, enough of that. Please leave a review! Just a few more chapters and I can get to the introduction of a plethora of no less than _seven_ Original Mobile Suits of my own. Look forward to it!**

**Ja ne!  
**


	24. Phase 23: Divine Thunder

**This would've been posted two days ago, except that I finished it just in time for Fanfiction to act up. Not sure what the problem they had was, but I'm glad it's been dealt with.**

**Anyways, a lot of this chapter is uninfluenced by my previous changes to the story, which results in the first scene and the Battle of Panama being a lot like they were in _Gundam SEED: A Retelling_. That being said, there are still differences, such as the number of Biological CPUs, who they are, and then at Panama, the removal of Yzak and Saya, inclusion of Shiho and John, and the addition of a new OC as well. The Orb scenes are again similar, but there are some clear differences, particularly at the end of each of the scenes. Not only that, but I included a few entirely original scenes of my own, in particular the last two.**

**Alright, enough of that, you've all waited long enough. I apologize if there aren't enough differences between this one and _A Retelling_, but hopefully you can all enjoy it regardless.**

**Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply. I would like to add that I own the OCs Kazuo Endo, Roslyn Nawda, Louisa Kohl and Christian Balliet, as well as the GAT-X160 Relentless Gundam.  
**

* * *

Phase Twenty-Three: Divine Thunder

Date Unknown

* * *

Lodonia Extended Laboratory

A car with tinted windows approached the gates of the large facility. The car stopped at the gates and a guard approached the driver's door as the window rolled down. The driver silently handed the guard a piece of paper. The man read the paper, nodded and handed it back.

"They're expecting the Director at the main building," he told the driver. "It's the large building in the center of the facility."

The gates opened and the car headed for the largest building in the facility. The car pulled off alongside the main entrance and the rear passenger door opened. A blond haired man in a powder blue suit stepped out. A lone dark haired man in a lab coat was waiting for him outside the entrance.

"Ah… Director Azrael. Welcome to Lodonia. We've been expecting you," greeted the Head Doctor of the facility politely. "I trust that your trip was pleasant."

"Please Dr. Andras, I'm short on time, so if we could skip the pleasantries today," said Muruta Arael.

"Of course," said Andras. "You're here for the Biological CPU Project, correct?"

"Yes," said Azrael. "We have seven new machines to use against the Coordinators, but no suitable pilots for them. I trust that you have at least seven CPUs that I can use." Azrael didn't mention the variants of those machines—after all, they were of no importance, and would be assigned to regular pilots to appease the Atlantic Federation's so-called 'allies'. Fools, all of them, but useful fools regardless.

"We have more than seven ready for combat, but I'll give you the top seven," said Andras. "Come. I'll show you."

Andras lead Azrael through the hallways of the facility, passing rooms of children, some as young as six, being taught to become trained killers. There were even rooms with doctors performing terrible operations on children by breaking their minds and bodies, and then remaking them into weapons. Most people would be horrified to see such things, but men like Azrael didn't see it that way. He saw it as merely the production of newer and better weapons to use against mankind's greatest and most hated enemy, the Coordinators. Men like Mikhail Andras and most of those that worked here only saw an opportunity to improve human genetic enhancements or to create super soldiers.

"The Biological CPUs have all been subjected to some biotechnological modifications to enhance their abilities to levels on par with a Coordinator," explained Andras as they walked through the corridors. "We've given them extensive mental conditioning by removing their memories of their past and other things that would prove to be a distraction in combat, as well as their sense of fear, while increasing their aggression."

"Unfortunately, the increased aggression also makes them harder to control," continued Andras. "But we've solved that problem. We've begun giving them the performance-enhancing drug Gamma Glipheptin. While the drug boosts their already formidable combat abilities, it has some negative effects on the CPUs. Most notably, the withdrawal effects that occur once the drug has run out of their systems and the damage it does to their nervous systems, but the addictiveness of the drug is what will keep them in line. They're not perfect, but they're definitely combat ready. We're hoping in a few years for one of the next two generations to be ready for use."

"The next two generations have been approved? I've never heard anything about that. Who approved it?" asked Azrael.

"Djibril," said Andras without hesitation. "He felt that it was necessary to prepare for all possible outcomes for this war, as well as its aftermath should we win the war."

"Djibril," said Azrael in annoyance.

Djibril was always trying to interfere with his plans. He was the second most powerful man in Logos and Blue Cosmos behind Azrael himself. Azrael hated the viper of a man. Djibril was always plotting and scheming of his own plans and ambitions. There were those that considered Azrael evil, but Djibril was much worse than he was. He simply wished to remove the threat of the Coordinators whether eliminating them all or just caging them and using them for the benefit of the true humans: the Naturals. Djibril wanted to wipe out the Coordinators and build a world empire with Logos as the secret leaders of Earth. Azrael didn't really want that, after all, he was the Director of the Atlantic National Defense Conglomerate. He made money off of war. Where was the profit for him if there was only one nation on Earth and no Coordinators to fight?

"You see, with the success of the Biological CPUs, we've become divided over how to improve on them," continued Andras. "Some have come up with a true second generation of Extended, while I and my supporters have come up with the EX-C Project, or the Extended Gamma Project as some call them, which will generate greater soldiers than whatever they come up with."

"Hmm… I've read the report you sent about the EX-C Project and I have to say you may have a point there doctor, but the materials you need won't be easy to come up with," said Azrael.

"I mentioned this to Djibril," said Andras. "He said not to worry. He would see to that we would get all of the materials we need for the project."

The two entered Andras's office. Andras sat down and began typing on his computer. A minute later, he stood up.

"These are the files of our seven best, combat ready prototypes," he said, gesturing for Azrael to take his seat.

The files on the seven CPUs were displayed on the screen before them.

"Shani Andras…" murmured Azrael, skimming the file. "I see you're truly dedicated to your work here, Doctor." Of course, even Azrael had to suppress a grimace of disgust. If he was honest with himself, he didn't like Andras at all, but of course, the man was the best.

"Indeed. I found a use for my useless son," said Andras proudly. "For years, I never thought he would ever amount to anything but he's finally proven me wrong."

Azrael nodded and resumed reading. "Clotho Buer…" he read. "Arrested for petty thievery and rape… " Azrael chuckled. "I'm surprised that, considering the victim, you managed to get him."

"Mr. Lorne said 'Use him as a guinea pig, make him into something useful. Or kill him. I don't care, so long as he never comes near my daughter again.' So I put him in the program."

"Orga Sabnak…" continued Azrael. "Arrested by the military as part of a group of smugglers selling military hardware to the black market and the enemy… during the arrest, he managed to destroy two tanks single-handedly with an RPG… Hmm, quite impressive."

"Yes, he's quite good at the handling of heavy, destructive weapons," said Andras. "Though, of course, he's far from my favorite."

"Christian Balliet? Why's _he_ here?" asked Azrael sternly, turning to glare at Andras. The man held up his hands in a mock defensive manner.

"Don't look at me," he said. "Christian came and _volunteered_ for the program. He's just not satisfied with how things were. He lost good friends getting past the defenses to destroy Junius Seven."

Christian Balliet was the greatest hero Blue Cosmos had ever known. A Moebius ace in the Atlantic Federation's 13th Orbital Fleet, he'd been the one to fire the missile that had destroyed Junius Seven. While it was only one in a hundred and twenty of those damn hourglasses, the man had still killed more of the space monsters in that one shot than any thousand Blue Cosmos operatives had managed over the course of several years.

"I see," said Azrael. "Is he also on the Gamma Glipheptin?"

"We talked to him about everything before hand," said Andras. "He agreed to the Gamma Glipheptin, in order to ensure he's kept under control."

"A sad fate for a truly good man," said Azrael. "But perhaps one with which he can ensure our ultimate victory. Hmmm… what do we have here?"

"Our best," said Andras with a sadistic smirk.

"Louisa Kohls," read Azrael. "Accused Vice Admiral Michaels of being a terrorist when she attempted to assassinate him. She blames Blue Cosmos for the death of her family, huh? I trust you've 'educated' her in the truth?"

"Certainly," said Andras. "And as I said, she's our best. Her performance is superior to all others."

"Roslyn Nawda," continued Azrael. "Attempted to steal military technology during the chaos of the First Battle of Victoria. Caught and arrested, along with Kazuo Endo. Both chosen for reprogramming into Biological CPUs. And it seems this Endo is the last of them. He's from Orb, huh? A former student of their best martial artist. That's interesting. Well, they all seem quite impressive Andras. You should be proud."

"We've been putting them in simulators where they pilot those prototypes from Heliopolis against high numbers of ZAFT mobile suits and situations that most pilots would find unsurvivable," said Andras. "And every simulation ended in victory for them, but I won't be proud until they do it in real life and fulfill their purpose. For now, though, we can put them through another simulation for you if you like."

"No. I'll take them," said Azrael. "They're perfect. How long will it be to get them ready?"

"A few days to prepare the team of doctors for their maintenance and the drugs," said Andras.

Azrael nodded. "The new mobile suits will require another two weeks at most before they're ready. If I send you the data on the machines, could you use the simulators to train them in using the new machines?"

"Of course," said Andras. "We can have them start tomorrow afternoon if we get the data today."

Azrael grinned. "Good," he said. "I'll have the data sent to you at once. I want them ready to pilot those machines by the time they're completed. Also, one of the new machines will be completed a bit earlier than we expected. Determine which of them is best with it, and send them to Panama to retrieve it. We want it ready to meet the ZAFT attack that will no doubt be coming."

* * *

Onogoro Island

May 15th, C.E. 71

The _Archangel_ sailed into the very same hidden port they had been in the last time they were here. And just like the last time, the ship was badly damaged, though not quite as bad as it was then.

Unlike the last time, though, the ship was accompanied by five others, these from the Eurasian Federation, all of them docking into additional hidden ports around the _Archangel_'s own.

As the _Archangel_ docked with the port, Cagalli ran through the corridors of the hidden port, heading for the ship. The door to the _Archangel_ opened, and Cagalli was about to run through it when a doctor and a nurse pushing a stretcher with a wounded crewmember barreled through the doorway. Cagalli stepped aside letting the more important group pass. She caught a glimpse of the person's injuries and it made her sick to think that Kira might have ended up like this as well.

Once they passed, she resumed her running until she found him.

"Kira!" she shouted, embracing the teen in hug that sent them both to the ground.

"Cagalli?" gasped Kira in surprise as Cagalli lay on top of him.

"You are such an idiot!" she shouted as she pounded at his chest with tears sliding down her cheeks. "You're just… You're so… I never thought I'd see you again! How could you do that to me?!"

Kira took one good glance at her face and he knew she had been crying for days. She was tired and probably didn't get enough sleep. He said the only thing he could for her.

"Sorry."

She stopped pounding his chest and finally looked into his violet eyes. "So… you're really alive?" asked Cagalli as though, at any moment, Kira would disappear again.

"Yeah. I'm alive. And I did come back," said Kira. "Now, could you please get off me?"

* * *

The Bridge

The bridge officers of the _Archangel_, as well as Mu and Victor, all stood as Lord Uzumi Nara Athha and his entourage entered the bridge.

"I'd like to thank you for coming to our aid once again sir," said Murrue.

"Given the circumstances, I'm sure you understand that we can't officially welcome you and your crew to Orb. But in any case, you'll finally be able to get some rest," replied Uzumi.

Murrue nodded. "Thank you."

Uzumi glanced around at the group, noting their weary expressions and defeated looks. "With the destruction of the Earth Alliance Headquarters, the world is once again drifting in a new direction," he told them. "Once you've rested up, I'll update you with the latest news. You'll see for yourselves. I'm sure it will provide you with more than enough food for thought. You might even question why you wore that uniform in the first place."

* * *

Orb Military HQ

A Few Hours Later

Lord Uzumi, General Dante, Cagalli and Ledonir Kisaka listened quietly as Kira, Murrue, Mu and Denisov took turns explaining what had happened to them. Chris, Victor, Liz and the _Archangel_'s bridge officers were there as well.

"A Cyclops System? But even if the details of ZAFT's invasion plan had been leaked, that seems like a rather harsh course of action." Uzumi Nara Athha was visibly disturbed by what had happened at Alaska.

"But you have to admit, from a strategic standpoint, it was a tremendous victory," said Denisov, sounding disgusted. "Destroying eighty percent of ZAFT's forces in the operation in exchange for the loss of a smaller, undesirable force. To any military strategist or leader, that's definitely a worthwhile sacrifice."

"And here's the result." Uzumi pushed a button on the TV remote.

Images of the ruins of JOSH-A appeared on the screen.

"_To the last soldier, our defense forces fought heroically. The destruction of JOSH-A and the sorrow that accompanied that loss shall be forever be marked in history as a day of infamy."_ Images of the wounded survivors of the battle appeared. "_But despite this loss, we shall never submit to them. What right do the Coordinators have to threaten the security of our skies? The sacrifice that was made was immense, however, we must overcome this great loss and confront our enemies wherever we may find them."_ The image changed to that of anti-Coordinator rallies and marching Earth Alliance soldiers. "_We must gather our strength and fight against the arrogant Coordinators to ensure the freedom and security of the people of Earth! To ensure the preservation of our Blue and Pure World!_"

"God I hate that line," said Chris as Uzumi turned off the TV. "How the hell is killing Coordinators going to make the world blue and pure? It's nothing but bullshit."

"I understand why it's happened, but it's sure tough to swallow," said Mu with a sigh.

"To go along with the tone of its rhetoric, the Atlantic Federation has been increasing its political pressure on all of the neutral nations," said Uzumi. "They're being told that any nation that doesn't join the Alliance will be considered an enemy nation. Of course, Orb is no exception to this."

"They just want to get their hands on Orb's power," added an angry Cagalli.

"I'm sure you're all aware of this, but Orb does not refuse entry to Coordinators," said Uzumi. "We're one of the few countries that allow anyone to enter and reside within our borders as long as they honor the ideals and laws of Orb. We believe that no one should be judged on whether or not his or hers genes have been engineered. The only thing that labeling someone a Natural or a Coordinator does is create friction between people." Uzumi turned to Kira and his daughter. "Cagalli is a Natural, while Kira is a Coordinator. These are facts they have absolutely no control over. I cannot support the policies of the Atlantic Federation, because it labels every Coordinator an enemy and evil, insisting on attacking them for that biased reason. Who is really fighting who here? And what is the real reason behind it?"

"But sir. I understand the point of what your saying. And excuse me for saying this, but isn't your position a little… idealistic?" asked Mu. "Those sound like wonderful ideas, but Coordinators will continue to look down on Naturals who, in turn, will be jealous of Coordinators. That's just the way things are."

Lord Uzumi nodded and stood up. "I am aware of that," he said, walking away from the table. "It goes without saying, our nation has difficulty living up to this. But if we gave up on trying to improve the situation, then in the end, we'd be left with no other choice but to eliminate each other. At that point, it'd be too late to do anything but reflect and regret what had passed."

Uzumi stopped and turned to the group. "My friends, you wouldn't be suggesting that we keep silent and let this happen, would you? Because that's what the rest of the world is doing. From this point, you can choose your own course in life. I can understand if you still feel loyalty to the Earth Alliance, but you're all young and capable. Make your decisions carefully. And be sure to choose the future you truly desire."

"What's your view on this, Lord Uzumi?" asked Kira.

The former Chief Representative of Orb approached the former Earth Alliance Ensign. "I believe we are entering a time when our swords can no longer be held simply for display," he solemnly replied.

"I agree," came a new voice suddenly. Everyone spun around and was surprised to see Serenity Sakaeru Taiyonoha entering the room. "I heard everything," she said simply.

The _Archangel_ crewmen and pilots all looked away from her guiltily, none more so than Kira.

"I'm sorry," said Murrue softly.

"Don't be," said Serenity. "I loved Makoto. She was the beloved child of the entire Taiyonoha House, the heir of a millennia old bloodline that, if legends are to be believed, could be traced back to the Goddess herself. But for that same reason, I always knew she would never sit idly by as this war passed through. It's the reason she was given military training. We wanted her to be ready. But you can't be ready for anything and everything. Even still, Makoto fought for what she believed in, right to the bitter end. It's now up to us to continue her fight. She had faith in us, and so we must have faith in her to look over us and make sure we don't steer ourselves down the wrong path."

Liz looked away, choking back a sob. As Serenity had spoken, for an instant, Liz had seen Makoto, the woman she loved, rather than the powerful Orb noble.

"You've got some prisoners from ZAFT on the _Archangel_, corret?" asked Serenity. When she got the confirming nods, she continued. "I'll take custody of them now. There are some things I wish to discuss with them, including putting forth the same question you yourselves now face."

* * *

Morgenroete

Two Days Later

The Raven, the Guardian, the Duel, the Buster, the Surge and a jeep entered the hanger. Erica Simmons stepped out of the vehicle.

"Park them on that side of the hanger!" she shouted, waving towards the left side of hanger. The five mobile suits lined up on the left side of the hanger and powered down. Chris, Liz, Kira, Victor and Misuumi Taiyonoha exited the machines. It had come as a surprise to almost all that Misuumi could pilot mobile suits using Coordinator Operating Systems.

"So why did you ask us all here, Chief Simmons?" asked Mu as he, Murrue, Mir and Cagalli climbed out of the jeep. "I understand that you wanted to upgrade the Raven and tune up the machines we recaptured, but why are the rest of us here?"

"I have some things to show you before we start work on the Raven and the other four machines," said Erica as the four pilots and volunteer MS-mover joined the rest of the group. "Follow me."

A few minutes later, the group found themselves approaching another hanger. "You know we've been quite busy since you were last here," said Erica as they approached the doors to the hanger. "We haven't just been outfitting the Astrays with the Natural OS."

She opened the doors and they all entered the hanger. Greeting them was a pair of mobile suits. One familiar. One not.

The first mobile suit was the Strike completely repaired and restored. In fact, it looked as new as the day Kira first entered the cockpit.

The other mobile suit, while similar to the Strike, was new to them. It looked kind of like someone had built a Strike using components from both the Strike and one of the Astrays. Its head crest was topped with angled-back spikes. Its shoulders and skirt were longer than the ones on the Astrays and the Strike and more stylized than the other machines, giving it a distinct look to it.

"Of course, you already know the Strike but the machine next to it is the MBF-MX1 Athena," said Erica. "It's a limited production mobile suit for Orb Commanders and aces, similar to ZAFT's CGUE. It's faster and more maneuverable than the Strike and is equipped with an improved version of the Phase Shift Armor. It also has hardpoints for mounting Striker Packs and we're planning on using it to test the new Striker Packs we've been developing. It's almost completed. Pretty much all we have to do is install the OS and few other minor things."

"As for the Strike, we recovered it after your last battle in it," continued Erica. "The damage to it looked worse than it actually was, though because we didn't know what happened to you, we replaced the OS with one for Naturals but we can switch it if you like."

Kira looked up at his old mobile suit. "No," he said. "I have new mobile suit now."

"Then I'll pilot it," said Cagalli instantly. "If that's okay with you Kira."

"No," said Mu.

"What? Why?" she demanded.

"Because I'm piloting it," he replied.

"Hold on there. We still have two more surprises for you all," said Erica, leading them to another hangar. They gasped in surprise at what they saw.

Two identical mobile suits stood before them—or rather, one stood before them, the other was suspended in the air with its limbs held in the air around it—with Morgenroete crews working on them. They looked like the Strike, but there were some obvious, if minor, difference from the original, notably the knife-storing holsters in the forearms. A group of workers appeared to be struggling to load one of the knives into a holster on the nearly complete machine.

"Come on! What's taking so long?!" shouted Johanna Dante from next to the machine's foot. "Why haven't you gotten that knife loaded into the forearm yet?! That was supposed to be done half an hour ago!"

Crews scrambled to get the knife in question loaded into the forearm holder. Johanna sighed and turned to face the new arrivals as the group in question approached. "Hi. Showing them the new machines?" Erica nodded.

"Well then," began Johanna, turning to the rest of the group. "You can consider this the Strike 2.0. It has an improved battery and the improved Phase Shift Armor, but the big difference is that it's designed to permanently integrate a Striker pack, with customization performed on each individual unit during the final stages of construction. It sacrifices versatility for focus, which was the Strike's biggest weakness. It does feature some standard equipment, and is compatible with several optional systems to retain some versatility, allowing this machine to serve effectively in all manner of missions, though each one is only truly capable at a single particular mission role, whether that be commando, sniper or even artillery. At present, we've only got these two, and the first one is ready for the customization of the final stages."

"Do you have a pilot for it yet?" asked Victor.

"No," said Erica. "It's still a few days from being completed."

"Then if you'll let me, I'll take it," said Victor. "I need a new mount. Customized with the Sniper Aile Striker if you produced one, Stealth Striker if you didn't." Johanna smiled and nodded.

"As it happens, we have several of them," she said. "Shizuka also added something of her own to it. An active camouflage cloak. It's a standard MS-sized camouflage cloth at first glance, but it also features an anti-beam coating, and is specially manufactured to be able to produce low-power Phase Shift Armor, which changes colors to blend in with the surrounding environment and uses more conventional means to avoid radar. It's not a perfect stealth system in the way Mirage Colloid is, since it can't adjust quickly to changing environments during movement, but it also doesn't require the sacrifice of Phase Shift Armor, and it can be powered so long as the machine still has combat-level power left."

"You haven't seen the last surprise yet," came another voice suddenly, that of Shizuka Taiyonoha. "Come on over!"

The group walked around the two machines, and the _Archangel_ crewmen gasped in surprise at what they saw, while Misuumi walked over to stand next to Serenity, the two looking up at the machine.

The Blitz.

Or rather, what was left of it, specifically, the head and torso. The machine was suspended upright in the air, and the limbs were all suspended around it, all of it being worked on by Morgenroete crews. Supported behind it was a pair of massive, batwing-like components.

"Like it?" asked Shizuka from her place atop the shoulder, smiling down at the group. "We call it the Hellfire Blitz. By the time its complete, this machine will be able to outmatch anything Morgenroete has produced up to this point."

"Lady Serenity ordered its construction," said Erica, nodding in the direction of the Orb Noble. "When it's complete, it will have the improved Phase Shift Armor, along with a massively improved Mirage Colloid stealth system. The Mirage Colloid is a fascinating technology, and the Hellfire Blitz has received one of our first innovations with the technology, though we've skipped over most of them to maintain the focus on stealth. It won't be defenseless, either. We're planning on equipping it with an entirely new array of weapons the original didn't possess."

"An impressive assortment of machines," said Chris, whistling. "So what are you going to do with them?"

"Depends on what happens next," said Samuel as he approached the group. "The Athena will join our Astrays as protectors of Orb. As for the three Strike units, I see no reason that you can't have them if you want them. I believe Lady Serenity planned the same for the Hellfire Blitz, though you'll have to ask her about it. It technically belongs with the _Archangel_, though, alongside with all the other survivors of the first generation."

"You're just going to give us these machines?" asked Mu.

"Yes. Lord Uzumi himself said to give these machines to you, though he has no say on the Hellfire Blitz," said Samuel. "He said that if you're going to try to end this war, then you're going to need the strength of these machines to do it. Personally, I agree with him. You're going to need more than just the six machines aboard the _Archangel _right now."

"Yeah, but we only have five pilots," said Mu.

"For now, but one never knows what tomorrow might bring. Just because you have only five pilots, doesn't mean that you will always have five pilots." General Dante turned to the two Strike-units under construction. "That is one thing I have learned in life. Things can change in an instant."

"You can leave the pilots to me," said Serenity. "I already have the perfect candidates in mind. It'll be awhile before I get back to you on that, though. And don't forget, there's a good chance that Captain Denisov and his people will be joining the _Archangel_, to the best of their abilities. If necessary, we'll provide them with machines as well."

Serenity's eyes narrowed. "Yes," she said softly. "For a peaceful tomorrow. For the future Makoto died for."

"Speaking of that," said Chris. "There's something I've been curious about. I've seen GINN's destroyed before, and the near-destruction of the Blitz, as well as a GINN self-destructing. Why was the explosion of the Aegis so much bigger?"

"Perhaps it's somewhat ironic, but you can blame my sister and her husband for that," said Shizuka. "They had this genius idea to increase the power of the self-destruct. Most mobile suits work simply by detonating their power plants, destroying the suit from within, the explosion spreading into the area immediately surrounding the suit a few meters out. For the Aegis and the others, it isn't so simple. It draws all available energy and forces it into the battery, fracturing it. It's not so much a direct explosion as it is an _implosion_, with the energy drawn into a small space before being let out, increasing velocity, area and sheer force. It takes more time, but in general, is considerably more effective."

"So why was the Dauntless so much worse off than the Strike?" asked Liz, hiding her pain.

"Simple," said Serenity. "Makoto was too much. She'd already destroyed the Dauntless before it was caught in the explosion of the Aegis. It was just waiting for a slight push to make it fall apart."

"How's that possible?" questioned Murrue, utterly astounded.

Serenity didn't answer, but a single word echoed in the minds of her, Shizuka, Misuumi and Samuel.

_Divinity…_

* * *

Aboard the Cousteau

May 25th, C.E. 71

"Panama… I think HQ is asking too much of us this time," the said _Cousteau_'s Captain, his tone weary. "We just don't have the forces."

"We really don't have any other choice," Rau told him. "The Chairman has ordered us to disrupt the momentum the Earth Forces gained from Alaska before the homeland becomes threatened. We need to close the door to space by trapping them here on Earth. That's why it is imperative that we destroy Panama's Mass Driver."

"What of the Gungnirs?" asked the Captain.

"They'll arrive on schedule," replied Rau.

"Gungnirs… I've heard some of the officers and pilots complaining about relying on something that's never been used in combat before to win the battle. But the real problem's on our side. Will we even be able to capture the target points in time?"

"Our soldiers have sworn to extract harsh vengeance for Alaska. We will succeed," said Rau before leaving the bridge.

* * *

Rau's Quarters

Flay sat in a chair, fidgeting nervously. Ever since that man had kidnapped her at Alaska, she had been locked in his quarters. She hadn't showered in days, nor was she given clean clothes. In fact, she still had the handgun from Alaska.

Flay hated the man and this whole situation she was in. She was trapped on a ZAFT vessel. There was no way for her escape or for her to contact the _Archangel _or the Earth Forces. She didn't even know where Chris and the _Archangel_ were after what happened at Alaska. She supposed that she should be thankful to the man for saving her life. Had he not kidnapped her, she likely would have died in the destruction of the base. But he was still a creep. What she hated the most about him was that his voice sounded almost exactly like her father's. Several times already, she reminded herself that her father was dead and this man was not her father.

The door suddenly opened and Flay stood up pointing the gun at Rau as he entered the room. He completely ignored her and sat down at his desk.

"A battle is about to begin. Would you like to observe?" he asked reading from a personal computer. "I'm sorry for dragging you all over the place, but orders are orders so it can't be helped."

"But why… why did you take me?" Flay wanted to know.

Rau let out a quiet snicker. "You're already living on borrowed time, aren't you, Flay Allster?" he asked. "Back at Alaska, you'd have been equally dead whether I had shot at you or let you run off."

Flay kept her gun on him, her hands trembling slightly. An amused smirk crossed Le Creuset's lips. "And you'd die within moments if you were to shoot me now. The soldiers on board would hear the gunshot and come running. Or if you didn't want them to finish you off, I suppose you could turn the gun on yourself after you kill me," he said. "I assume, of course, the gun is loaded."

He stood up and walked towards her. "On the battlefield, life is cheap. It's lost in an instant. And yet, people still fight and die for their country, for justice, or for whatever other insignificant reason. But you're not really cut out for that sort of the thing, are you, Flay Allster?" he said as he walked past her. "You may be wearing that uniform, but you're no soldier."

He stopped and turned around. "You're nothing but a scared, helpless little girl caught up in events far greater than what you can comprehend."

She'd had enough of this creep. She may not be soldier and she may be scared, but she wasn't a helpless little girl. Flay spun around and punched Rau square in the face. He stumbled back a few steps, blood leaking from his nose. But, to Flay's surprise, he started to laugh.

"You think this hurts?" he asked, suddenly rushing forward, knocking the gun from her hand, and pushing her against the wall, his face uncomfortably close to her own. "You don't know what pain is, Flay Allster. Not until you've lived as I have. If you knew all that I had done and all that I had planned, you'd likely think me insane. And you'd probably be right. But anyone who had lived as I have would likely be far crazier than I!"

With that, Rau, still laughing, stood up straight and walked out the door. He turned his head slightly so that she could see the left half of his face, and more particularly, the amused smirk that was present there.

"You're still no soldier, but I congratulate you regardless," said Rau. "I promise, I won't think of you as a scared, helpless little girl again. But even if you're brave enough to shoot me so that I am no longer a potential threat to those you care for, it wouldn't matter. The pieces are in place, everything is moving on the course of divine providence, and even _I_ can do nothing to stop it."

Rau chuckled again in amusement as the door shut, but to Flay, it sounded like the sinister, evil cackling of a madman.

* * *

ZAFT Fleet

In Earth Orbit

ZAFT mobile suits were launched from the warships. They moved towards the dropships and their drop pods. A black CGUE entered a pod with a trio of custom colored GINN High-Maneuver Types. Five _Laurasia_-class warships, modified to launch Gungnirs, waited alongside the dropships.

"_Gungnirs… bah! Things like those take all the fun out of being a soldier,_" complained Ajay as they waited for the Operation to begin.

John ignored him. "Listen up," he said. "Our job is to secure landing sites for the Gungnirs. Once they're cleared, the Gungnirs will be launched. Once they've been fired off, this battle will end."

"_Attention all forces, prepare for space drop,_" said the dropship's combat coordinator. "_In ten… nine… eight… seven… six… five… four… three… two… one._"

There was a shudder as the pod was launched. The pod started its descent towards the atmosphere alongside dozens of other pods. "_YEEEEEEE-HAW!_" shouted Ajay as they entered the atmosphere.

A few minutes later, the pods finished their atmospheric entry. The pods streaked through the air heading for the Porta Panama Base and its Mass Driver. Elsewhere, DINNs, ZnOs, GOOhNs, Guul-mounted GINNs and a CGUE DEEP Arms were launched from the sub carriers.

Panama's defenders all scrambled as the ZAFT forces approached the base. The drop pods opened, releasing their mobile suits. Fighters were scrambled to intercept the mobile suits as anti-air turrets powered up. John demonstrated his legendary sniper skills, firing his rifle at a trio of approaching fighters as the ZAFT suits around him opened fire as well. From the sea, airborne and amphibious mobile suits attacked, hitting naval warships and beach defenses.

The space-borne mobile suits slowed their descent. Those that weren't shot down by the defenders landed safely on the ground and continued to engage the Earth Forces. Basque Gideon fired off his Barrus heavy particle cannon and Gatling guns at a group of gun emplacements on the side of a mountain. DINNs and Guul mounted GINNs chased down the Earth Forces fighters, blowing them out of the sky. ZnOs emerged from the waters around Panama, attacking the coastal defenses and installations of the Porta Panama Base. Tanks and gun emplacements roared, their shells striking some of the attacking mobile suits. The ZAFT forces were heavily outnumbered. But as always, their mobile suits were far superior to what the Earth Forces could bring to bear.

* * *

Archangel's Bridge

Onogoro Island

"How are the repairs coming along?" asked Murrue as she sat down in the captain's chair.

The bridge officers, Mu, Victor and Chief Murdoch, were there with her.

"Both the Orb crews and my guys have gotten a fair amount of the repairs done," Murdoch informed the captain. "A few more days and we'll be done and ready to go."

"Then what?" asked Victor, a cup of coffee in his hand. "Kira said we should fight to end the war, but how do we go about doing that? Should we go into space and link up with the pink princess and my comrades? Or should we stay on Earth and do something here?"

Murrue sighed. That was a very good question. Who should they be fighting? ZAFT and the PLANTs? The Earth Forces? Everything had become so complicated now.

"Were you able to reach your contacts in the PLANTs?" she asked, hoping he could shed some light on things.

"Yes and no," said Victor. "I got in touch with the middlemen that pass the messages between us, but they were unable to reach my contacts. So I don't know what's happening in the PLANTs since Alaska."

"Captain!" said Chandra. "We're being contacted by the Orb Military HQ."

"Open a channel," said Murrue calmly.

General Dante's face appeared on the main screen. "_ZAFT has launched an attack on Panama,_" he announced.

This stunned everyone.

"What? So soon?" questioned Murrue. "They can't possibly have enough strength after JOSH-A to launch such an attack."

"Don't underestimate them," said Victor. "They wouldn't attack unless they had a means to win the battle. There's a good possibility that Panama will fall."

"A ZAFT weapon that hasn't been used before?" asked Mu.

"Likely," said Victor. "Though I don't know what it could be. If it was a new mass-production mobile suit, they would have used it at JOSH-A, so it couldn't be that. As to other weapons, I know that they were working an EMP weapon early in the war but they took time to deploy on the battlefield and it could only be used once, maybe twice, before the Earth Forces would upgrade their EMP shielding. The military deemed it unfeasible as a weapon to turn the tide of the war and, as far as I know, scrapped the project. But they could have reopened the project after I've left or simply used what they created before the project for this one battle. Of course, they could have some other new weapon as well, maybe even another suit like the Freedom, though I certainly hope not. So the question is, if they do lose Panama, what will the Earth Forces do after that? Especially with their new attitude after Alaska."

* * *

ZAFT Fleet

"Sir. The landing sites have been secured."

Commander Darlian nodded. "Then launch the Gungnirs!" he ordered. "It's time to finish this."

The bottoms of the modified _Laurasia_-class ships opened. Three large pods were deployed from each of the ships, descending on Panama

* * *

Porta Panama

Diana fired at the advancing tanks. They were no match for her mobile suit. It was pitifully easy. There was just no point to it. Until the day the Earth Forces could field armies of mobile suits on the battlefield, they never stood a chance against them.

Diana looked up in time to see the fifteen pods descending on the battlefield. The Gungnirs had arrived, which meant the battle would end soon. Suddenly, a beam struck a nearby GINN, destroying it. A blue and white mobile suit appeared, armed with a beam rifle and red shield.

"What the… Is that the Strike?!" asked a GINN pilot.

"No. It's different mobile suit," said Diana firing at the mobile suit.

Bullets from the CGUE's rifle tore through the machine's chest destroying it, but more of them soon appeared.

"You won't have things so easy from now on," said one Earth Forces pilot.

"All you Coordinators are just a little too cocky," added another pilot. "I think it's time to take you down a peg."

"At last. Opponents worth fighting. No more pitiful mobile armors, tanks and fighters," said Diana with a smirk on her lips. "Attention all forces! Incoming Earth Forces mobile suits!"

"_Well, I'll be damned,_" said Ajay over the radio. Though to Diana, it sounded more like "_It's about damn time!_" than anything else. "_Mass produced Earth Force's mobile suits. I thought this was gonna be a dull mission._"

"_Cut the chatter,_" came John's voice as sniper rounds began tearing into the advancing enemy mobile suits. "_Our enjoyment of the mission is unimportant. What is important is that this could compromise the mission if we become lax, and turn the tide of the war if we don't address these machines well-enough._"

"Yes sir!"

The Alaric Team's assault swiftly took down over a dozen of the machines. But more kept coming, and the new machines fired back, destroying two DINNs and a GINN while Diana sidestepped several shots and threw her shield at one of them. Her shield hit its mark cutting into the target's chest.

"_Gah! Damm it! Sir! There's too many of them!_" said a GINN pilot as he struggled to stay alive. "_We have to fall back!_"

"No!" said Diana drawing her sword with the Panther's free hand. "We have to have to drive them back so the Gungnirs can be deployed and fired! No retreat!"

Diana raced forward. Nearby members of the Alaric Team charged forward with her while John and the rest of the ZAFT forces fired at the enemy from the rear. Diana and her teammates fired as they headed for the enemy lines. The Earth Forces mobile suits were completely caught off guard by the charge. They had expected the ZAFT forces to be shocked by the appearance of their mobile suits and, combined with their superior numbers, would have enabled them to push the enemy back. Instead, they found themselves being charged by a group of ZAFT soldiers that weren't phased in the slightest by their ambush. They fired at the modified mobile suits, but with their thrusters, they were able to sidestep the worst of it. One of the GINN High-Maneuver Types lost its left arm but that didn't slow it down much.

The Alaric Team reached their targets. Diana sliced one machine in two as she fired at another. Hilda and her team smashed through a group of the poorly designed Strike-imitation suits. The redhead impaled one of the machines with her sword. Mars blew away two with his grenade launcher while Herbert gunned down a fourth machine. More enemies fell. The ZAFT soldiers became reinvigorated at the sight of the Alaric Team tearing through the Earth Forces mobile suits.

"_Come on boys!_" shouted a GINN pilot. "_We can't let the Black Hawk's Fighters have all the fun!_"

The rest of the nearby ZAFT forces pushed forward, driving into the Earth Forces line.

"Heh," said the mobile suit captain with a smirk. "If they think this is all we've got, then these damn Coordinators are even stupider than I thought."

An instant later, beams rained down on the ZAFT mobile suits, destroying a half-dozen of the regular military suits and several of the Alaric Team's own machines. The ZAFT forces, even the elite pilots, stumbled back in shock as a mobile suit descended before them.

The Alaric Team members all gasped in surprise.

The mobile suit before them looked virtually identical to another machine they'd once fought, but it possessed four wings instead of two, and its colors were an inverse of that machine: primarily black, with a silver torso, and the same white and blue trimming. Perhaps most telling, though, were the red eyes that seemed to possess a demonic glint that the blue eyes of the Dauntless never possessed.

"Hahahahaha!" laughed Kazuo Endo, an insane glint in his eyes. "Finally, live targets!"

The Exia Kai, the primary weapon of the GAT-X160 Relentless, flipped forward from its standby position, the machine charging forward while shooting a beam saber from its left wrist into its hand, spinning around and beginning to cut apart even the Alaric Team's forces.

"Damn it!" said Diana. "This is Deputy Commander Kessel at Site Three. We're encountering heavy resistance from a new Earth Forces mobile suit. Its not a mass-produced one, this thing is much tougher, requesting reinforcements now and advise that all other sites are reinforced immediately!"

The Alaric Team pilots were quick to realize that, though powerful, this machine was nothing like the Dauntless. They'd all studied the later footage of the legged ship and its mobile suits captured by the Zala Team, and this…_ thing_… before them was an abomination.

"Those bastards…" said John quietly over the radio, his grip on the Farsight's controls tightening in anger. "That… _thing!_… is a disgrace! It's a dishonor to the memory of the true warrior that the Dauntless pilot was! Blue Cosmos bastards!"

* * *

Elsewhere, more of the Earth Forces Strike Dagger mobile suits appeared across the battlefield engaging the ZAFT mobile suits. Many of those ZAFT pilots were caught off-guard by the Earth Forces mobile suits. They were not used to fighting against enemy mobile suits. They were used to fighting inferior tanks, fighters and mobile armors. Added to this, the Strike Daggers were technologically superior to the GINNs and other ZAFT machines. Many GINNs and other ZAFT mobile suits were quickly torn apart by the Strike Daggers but not all of the ZAFT pilots were being overwhelmed by the new machines.

A beam tore through the cockpit of GINN, and the mobile suit exploded. The Strike Dagger turned, searching for a new target when it was obliterated by machinegun fire from overhead.

"Just lousy rip-offs," said Shiho as she set aside her rifle and used the thermal cannons to destroy several more Strike Daggers. "The only threat from these things is numbers."

"_Hahnenfuss, the Alaric Team is being driven back by a new prototype mobile suit,_" came the voice of the _Costeau_'s combat controller over the radio. "_You are ordered to engage the enemy at Site Three._"

"Roger that," said Shiho, turning her Guul in the direction of Site Three and blazing forward as fast the platform could take her.

* * *

A Strike Dagger impaled a GINN with its beam saber. The pilot withdrew the saber and kicked the GINN down before it exploded. Suddenly, a blade descended slicing the Dagger in two down the center. Ajay smirked as the machine exploded.

"Even with fancy, new mobile suits, you guys still ain't good enough," he said in a cocky tone, though his worry over the prototype that was mixed in with the Strike Daggers was evident to those who knew him well.

There was a burst of gunfire, followed by an explosion behind him. "_You're getting sloppy_," said Lucius as he approached his comrade. "_That mobile suit was about to shoot you from behind._"

"Nah. I already knew he was there. Just as I knew you were in the prefect position to ambush him," replied Ajay nonchalantly.

"_Don't be so cocky,_" said Lucius. "_That arrogance will get you killed one day._"

"Bah! Come on. Loosen up a little."

The GINN behind the two was suddenly sliced apart, and they both backed away as the Relentless approached them. Suddenly, a hail of thermal energy cut off the winged prototype.

The DEEP Arms had arrived, and Shiho promptly leapt off of her Guul, landing before the Relentless with her large, laser-bladed sword drawn.

"Oh, something with beam weapons?!" shouted Kazuo, laughing his head off. "Finally! Maybe you'll give me a challenge!"

His words were true—even the Alaric Team had been forced to flee before the combination of the insane pilot and his machine.

The Relentless charged forward, slashing with the Exia Kai, the DEEP Arms deflecting with its own sword, the laser blade saving the weapon from the powerful Trans Phase sword. The thermal cannons snapped into place, firing on the Relentless, but the machine leapt into the air, dodging, and switched the Exia Kai to fire mode, flipping the sword into standby position, and opened up with the rifle, Shiho barely dodging away before returning fire with her thermal cannons, teeth grit in frustration.

* * *

Elsewhere

A GINN loaded the final EMP caster into the Gungnir. "Right. Caster 12 is primed," said the pilot. "Now to–"

Suddenly, the last GINN covering him exploded. The pilot swore. He had to activate the Gungnir now. The GINN moved towards the Gungnir's control console. The GINN's fingers were inches from the console when a beam hit the GINN destroying it. A trio of Strike Daggers approached the Gungnir.

"Now. What the hell is this?" asked one pilot.

"_Probably some new weapon the Coordinators cooked up,_" said another. "_We better destroy it to be on the–_"

An energy blast suddenly tore through the third Strike DAgger. The machine fell to its knees and then exploded. A blood red CGUE with heavily reinforced armor and a thermal cannon appeared in the skies, leaping off its Guul.

"Pathetic," said Zane over the radio, making sure he was using a frequency the enemy pilots would hear. "Your machines are superior, but as always, your pilots are inferior."

"_Inferior! I'll show you inferior, Patchworker!_" shouted one pilot as he drew his beam saber and charged.

"Idiot," said Zane as he squeezed the trigger.

An energy blast tore through the mobile suit's right shoulder, severing it. A sudden barrage of missiles tore into the Strike Dagger's torso, tearing it apart.

"_You bastard!_" shouted the remaining pilot as he fired off his rifle.

Zane was faster as he sidestepped the shot and fired back. The blast hit the machine's chest removing the last threat to the Gungnir. Zane walked up to the Gungnir's console noticing it was still waiting for activation.

"Now this won't do," he said as he pushed the activation button. "There. Now everything is back to the way it was. I hope you enjoy our present, Naturals."

With the final Gungnir activated, the count down on all the Gungnirs started.

_30…_

_20…_

_10…_

_5… 4… 3… 2… 1… 0_

The Gungnirs fired, each releasing a wave of energy. The waves spread out, consuming the entire area. The ZAFT mobile suits were unaffected but all of the Earth Alliance machinery, save one vital piece of equipment, weren't so fortunate. The EMP waves fried the circuitry of all of their machines and computers. From tanks and gun emplacements to Strike Daggers to the Panama Base itself. The Mass Driver overloaded, sending a massive surge through the track, tearing the entire thing apart.

* * *

Gungnir Site Three

"Oh damn," said Kazuo, sounding calm and sane for the first time since he'd reached the battlefield. "This thing's power won't last forever. They won't want to lose it. Hmm… the Mass Driver's already gone anyway. Yeah, I don't think they'll have any complaints about me leaving here. Actually, that's definitely what they'd want me to do. Too bad, I wanted to destroy more of these things."

The Relentless leapt back and took off into the air, faster than any of the ZAFT pursuers could follow, Shiho and the Alaric Team glaring after the winged mobile suit.

* * *

"What the…? My machine! It won't move!" said a Strike Dagger pilot as he frantically tried to get his machine to work.

Diana pushed the mobile suit down and pried open the cockpit hatch. The pilot stepped out with his hands raised. Other nearby members of the Alaric Team and Shiho did the same, rounding up a group of Earth Alliance soldiers. But…

"Aw… what's the matter? Is your toy broken?" said a ZAFT pilot as pushed a Strike Dagger down and fired at the cockpit, laughing as he murdered the defenseless pilot.

"Stand down damn it!" shouted John. "They're defenseless!"

"_Who the hell cares about a bunch of disgusting Naturals?!_" said the pilot, aiming at the gathered group of soldiers.

A shot rang out. The GINN's head exploded. "_What the hell?! Why are you firing at me?!_"

"I will not allow the senseless execution of defenseless soldiers," said John. "Stand down or I'll put you down."

The pilot wisely dropped his rifle.

"Attention all ZAFT forces," said John, keying his radio. "This is Commander Alaric. The execution of surrendering Earth Forces soldiers will not be tolerated. Anyone who shoots a surrendering soldier will be punished severely."

"_Who the hell do think you are, Natural Lover?!_"

"_Yeah! They deserve to this for JOSH-A!_"

"_Let's kill 'em all!_"

Cheers filled the comm. Most of the ZAFT soldiers were out for blood. An eye for an eye. A massacre for a massacre.

"Very well then," said John. "All members of the Alaric Team and any other willing ZAFT soldiers, I order you to stop the slaughtering of the surrendered soldiers wherever you can. The use of lethal force has been approved but try to refrain from killing, if possible. I will take full responsibility for what happens here."

Across the battle, groups of mobile suits from the Alaric Team gathered around captured Alliance soldiers. Many ZAFT soldiers wisely chose to avoid these groups, more out of fear of the Alaric Team than anything else. A small few like-minded pilots, including Shiho, joined them in defending the captured soldiers but not all did as those two groups did…

* * *

"_Out of the way!_" shouted the first of a pair of GINN pilots.

"Sorry. No can do," drawled Ajay.

"_Why the hell are you bothering to protect these dogs?!_" shouted another pilot. "_Look at what they did at Alaska! They don't even give a damn about their own forces!_"

"I got my orders pal. Just back away before things get messy," he said.

"_Filthy Natural Lover! Then you deserve to die as well!_" shouted the first as they raised their rifles.

But Ajay was faster. Drawing his elbow blades, he sliced through the rifles cutting them in two.

"_Gah!_"

"_What?! Dammit! You'll pay for this Natural Lover!_"

"Don't you two ever shut up?" asked Ajay as he sliced through the GINNs' heads. "There. Say anything else, and I'll have to kill ya both."

* * *

"Julie was at Alaska! This is for her!" said a GINN pilot as he aimed at a surrendering tank crew.

Suddenly, a sword sliced through his arm. "That's enough," said Hilda raising her sword to strike again if necessary. "They're surrendering. ZAFT soldiers don't fire on surrendering soldiers."

"_But they–_"

"No buts or I take your head," said Hilda. "We're ZAFT soldiers. We're better than them. We don't stoop to their level."

* * *

"_Out of the way, woman,_" said a ZAFT pilot in a DINN.

Lisa DaCosta and her all female team stood in front of an Earth Forces Aid Station bunker. This pig and his buddies did not impress them. The group of DINNs and GINNs had come here to take out the Aid Station and everyone inside, something none of them were willing to allow.

"No," said Lisa. "This is an Aid Station. There's nothing but injured people here. Back off or you and your buddies will need it in a moment."

"_You think that we'll be beaten by a bunch of women?! Ha! There's no way you're better than us!_"

"_Yeah!_" shouted another pilot.

"_Get out of the way, girlie! Before we get angry and get rid of you too!_"

Lisa fired off some rounds at that particular pilot's GINN, shooting off its head.

"Call me that again, I dare you," challenged the Commander of the _Valkyrie_'s mobile suits.

"_Damn bitch!_" shouted the lead pilot. "_Kill them all!_"

Both groups of ZAFT mobile suits fired. A GINN armed with Canis missile launchers fired but to the pilot's shock, one of the GINN High-Maneuver Types fired and hit one of his missile just as he squeezed the trigger, detonating the missile and taking out the GINN and two other nearby mobile suits. A GINN with a sword, charged Lisa but she was faster. She drove her GINN's free hand through the other GINN's head. The GINN stopped and stumbled back a step. Before he could do anything else, Lisa grabbed the GINN and spun it around. She stole the rifle holstered on the back of its waist and kicked the mobile suit to the ground. She fired both rifles. Rounds tore through the GINNs and DINNs, destroying weapons and tearing off limbs. It wasn't long until there was only one DINN left while all of the High-Maneuver Types were still standing.

"_Damn you, bitch…_" said the leader of the group angrily. "_How… how could you defeat all of us without losing single machine?!_"

Lisa smirked. "There's a reason why my machine and I are called Lady Luck," she said. "Ever since this war started, there hasn't been a single fatality among my team. And my teammates have survived crashes that should've been fatal. They believe me to be the embodiment of luck protecting them from harm. Kind of foolish if you think about it, but if they wish to rationalize it like that, it's fine with me. Of course, I believe that it's the opposite. I don't bring them good luck but rather, I bring our opponents bad luck."

"_Quit screwing around with me!_" shouted the enraged pilot, raising his rifle and shotgun. "_I refuse to be beaten by a bunch of women!_"

Lisa and her entire team fired. The sheer number of rounds tore through the DINN's head and limbs, shredding them and tossing the DINN's torso back.

"Sarah, secure the fallen weapons," ordered Lisa. "Maria, Linda, check the survivors. Take the wounded to the Aid Station and keep the rest in a group away from there. Everyone else, stay on alert."

"Sir!" said the women before carrying out her orders.

* * *

"_Damn Natural Lover! You were _at_ Alaska! Why are you defending these animals?!_" shouted a GINN pilot as he crashed to the ground after his Guul was destroyed by Shiho.

"Is this the true face of ZAFT then?" asked Shiho, instead of answering his question. "Who are the real animals, then? At least Alaska had some strategic value. This is meaningless, animalistic slaughter to quench a thirst for blind vengeance. I won't stand for it."

Shiho gunned down two more ZAFT mobile suits that were trying to get at the group of Alliance soldiers she was defending.

_Is this really what ZAFT is about now?_ questioned Shiho, removing her helmet and looking at the ZAFT insignia on it, a PLANT-shaped Z symbol. _This isn't why I joined ZAFT. We're only supposed to be protecting the PLANTs, not slaughtering Naturals for petty reasons and to establish our own sense of superiority and appease our pride._

With a cry of anger, Shiho gunned down a dozen more of the ZAFT murderers.

"This isn't what the ZAFT I joined stood for!" she said coldly. "You're no better than those Blue Cosmos murderers! Hell, you might even make _them_ look good!"

_Yzak… I'm glad you were captured_, thought Shiho with disgust. _You didn't have to see this atrocity._

* * *

But even then, there just weren't enough of them to save many of the Earth Alliance soldiers. For every one they saved, ten more were mercilessly gunned down. Medics and wounded soldiers leaving a bunker were mowed down by a pair of GINNs. Immobile Strike Daggers were used for target practice by ZAFT mobile suits, their pilots still inside. Lifeless naval vessels were sunk by ZnOs and GOOhNs whose pilots would then crush the fleeing lifeboats with their suits arms. A barrage of missiles from the ZAFT sub carriers rained down upon the base. Without its anti-missile turrets, there was nothing to stop the missiles from hitting their targets. Destruction rained down upon the Porta Panama Base. Buildings and hanger were hit and leveled. Not even the underground command center was spared. Several missiles struck the building over top of the command center, causing the ceiling to collapse, crushing the command center and everything within it.

The blood of thousands of Naturals flowed freely through the base that day, almost all of them slaughtered for some blind, empty vengeance, aimed against actions of which some of them had regretted deeply, and would've even given their lives to reverse.

* * *

Zane walked through the remains of the Panama Base watching as ZAFT soldiers mercilessly gunned down the defenseless Earth Forces soldiers. Zane himself hadn't joined in the slaughter. There was no need to. The angry and vengeful ZAFT soldiers were more than willing to show the true nature of humanity. Though there had been those that had resisted: the Alaric Team. They were becoming more and more of an irritation. Of course, with Zala now the undisputed leader of ZAFT, they wouldn't be a problem for much longer, especially after this. They would either be brought to heel or dealt with, one way or another. Zane smirked as a GINN gunned down a group of soldiers trying desperately to escape with their lives. Another GINN appeared crushing a number of fleeing soldiers under its foot.

"_Ha! They're like little rats running from the exterminators,_" said one of the pilots.

"Of course. The Naturals are nothing but vermin. And it's our job to exterminate them," said Zane nonchalantly. "Go. Wipe them all out. They deserve nothing less."

The pilots cheered and resumed exterminating the Naturals as they tried to escape with their lives.

* * *

Taiyonoha Manor

A few hours later

"So, now you see the true face of ZAFT," said Serenity grimly as she turned off the television screen and turned to face the four ZAFT pilots that had been staying at the manor as a combination of guests and prisoners.

The four all slumped in a defeated manor. That slaughter… it had been…

Well, there was no way to truly describe it. Even their disgust over Alaska was nothing compared to this. The feeling in the pit of their stomachs reminded them of the Bloody Valentine—only this time, it was Coordinators, not Naturals, who were responsible.

"What do you want from us?" asked Saul, sounding defeated. Serenity leaned forward.

"What I want is simple," she said. "What I want is what you all, deep down, truly want."

The pilots stared at her uncertainly.

"I want you to fight for the sake of peace."

* * *

Alaska Crater, Former Site of JOSH-A Base

The Next Day

The trio of mobile suits flew over the massive crater, all three pilots staring grimly at the location where Blue Cosmos had wiped out so many lives simply to sate their own thirst for Coordinator blood, cement their control over the Alliance and to try and cripple ZAFT, almost certainly in the hopes of an all-out assault on the PLANTs being made possible.

"_According to Carpentaria, this is where Kira and the Freedom were first spotted,_" said Athrun.

"_And he also captured Yzak,_" said Erik. "_The legged ship and a few others escaped. Where do you think they went?_"

"_I have a guess,_" said Athrun. "_Probably the same guess as you have. But if that's the case, we'll have to wait for them to make their move. We've got no other leads, so…_"

"The Marshall Islands, then," said Michiru.

"_So, you thought of it too?_" said Erik.

"You told me all about your encounters with the legged ship, including the meeting with the pilots," said Michiru. "It seems obvious, and the Marshall Islands are the perfect hiding place."

"_Yeah,_" said Athrun. "_Besides, I want to visit that place… Makoto's grave. I want to talk to Malchio too._"

"_Alright, I think I'll take Michiru to see Hotaru as well,_" said Erik. "_She did more to save Michiru than I did, and I'd like to thank her again. It's only two or three kilometers away._"

"_Got it,_" said Athrun.

"Yeah, I'd like to visit her as well," said Michiru. "I owe her my thanks."

With that, the three mighty mobile suits turned southwest, their destination the Marshall Islands where the final confrontation of the _Archangel_ and the Zala Team had taken place.

* * *

**Author's Notes: I hope everyone enjoyed that. There's just too much with Panama for me not to be using the scene's from Akatsuki Leader13, and the Athena and Strike were to be left the same. As you can see, I've made some adjustments to the Strike 2.0. The original version that became the Farsight just seemed too focused towards being a sniper right from the off, so I ended up altering it so that it can still end up being a sniper, but without the machine seeming like it was meant to be one just for John/Victor. If some of you are worried about the cloak seeming like it would be too ineffective, don't worry. Something like that requires a very skilled pilot, which is exactly what Victor is.**

**We also get a glimpse of the reborn Blitz here. I won't say much more, but as the name implies, there will be much fire involved.**

**Not only that, but it seems Serenity wants the ZAFT Gundam pilots on her side. Well, that's not too much of a surprise, is it? Not only that, but Athrun, Erik and Michiru are heading to the Marshall Islands to await their chance to confront Kira. This is setting things up for a few more original scenes, so you've got plenty to look forward too.**

**On a sidenote, it seems some people thought that Nabiki might have silver eyes as well. I made a pretty obvious statement about who the pilot was, but I guess I shouldn't be surprised, since I gave no information on Nabiki's appearance. Still, I guess this explains why I've told pretty much the entire plot to everyone and nobody has seen it...**

**Alright, enough of that. So what if people are blind? Okay, so I'm blind too, and only see it because I know it's there, but still! Oh, I'm shutting up now. Just leave a review please!**

**Ja ne!  
**


	25. Phase 24: The Calm Before the Storm

**Alright, first and foremost. This has been ready for sometime. Actually, the "initial draft" was completed before I posted the last chapter, but I wanted to give time for reviews to come in and allow people to give me their opinions. Now then, secondly, I forgot to post the statistics for the Relentless from last chapter, so here they are:**

_"Those bastards… that…_ thing!_… is a disgrace! It's a dishonor to the memory of the true warrior that the Dauntless pilot was! Blue Cosmos bastards!"_ – John Alaric.

**Relentless Gundam:**  
Description:  
The Relentless Gundam is one of seven new Earth Alliance prototypes, and is first deployed in the defense of the Porta Panama Mass Driver. Based on an X100-series similar to that of the Dauntless Gundam, this new machine is likewise designed for close combat. The Relentless, however, also incorporates a great deal of ranged firepower as well, and combined with its improved Exia Kai, Trans-Phase Armor, and additional anti-armor swords, the Relentless is a theoretically far superior mobile suit. To unlock as much potential as possible, this machine is assigned to the martial artist biological CPU Kazuo Endo.

**Model Number:** GAT-X160**  
Overall Height:** 18.61 meters**  
Weight:** 73.97 tons**  
Power Plant:** Ultracompact Energy Battery**  
Special Model Features:** Trans-Phase Armor, 4 Mobile Assault Wings,**  
Fixed Armament:** 4x DES-G07D+ Anti-Armor Sword, set includes long and short swords, one set stored on each hip, hand-carried in use; 2x Beam Saber, stored in wrist armor, hand-carried in use; 2x "Armfeuer" 115mm Machine Gun, mounted in forearms; 2x Combo Weapons Pod: 120mm Anti-Ship Vulcan Cannon, 2x 350mm Gun-Launcher, mounted on shoulders; 2x "Igelstellung" 75mm Automatic Multi-Barrel CIWS, fire-linked, mounted in head;**  
Optional Hand Armament:** "Exia Kai" Sword Rifle**  
Pilot:** Kazuo Endo**  
Appearance: **Like the Dauntless, its appearance is a combination of the Strike and Wing Gundams—mostly the Strike, but with the Wing Gundam's head. However, the combo weapon pods of the Launcher Striker cover its shoulder armor. Additionally, it has four wings, like the Wing Zero, rather than the two possessed by the Dauntless.**  
Colors: **Inverse of the Dauntless: the layout is the same as the Wing Gundam (except the torso, which uses the Strike's layout), but the white portions, including the wings, are changed to black, and the blue portions, including the torso, are changed to silver. Other than that, the color scheme is unchanged.**  
Notes:** The Atlantic Federation/Blue Cosmos idea of what a Dauntless successor should be. Of course, in their take, the Relentless actually departs rather heavily from the Dauntless's purpose. While still specialized in close combat, this machine is more of a general-purpose assault then the close-combat dominator that the Dauntless was. And, of course, the machine and frame lacks a few 'special' aspects hidden in the Dauntless that were key to the mobile suit's success.

**Well, there you have it. The Relentless Gundam. Honestly, I have to say, John's assessment is right, which I suppose is exactly what I was going for. Anyways, not much is going on here, and I realize this chapter is shorter than most of the more recent ones, but we get back to lengthy chapters with the next _Phase_. I cut out most of the Panama stuff, only showing the conclusion of it, rather than go into the whole trial-thing that Akatsuki Leader13 did. I figure that, since a fair number of my readers have read his story, they didn't want to see the same scene all over again. That said, for those readers who don't know the scene, I put in the tail-end/conclusion of it all.**

**Alright, enough ranting, for now, on with the show!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED or any of the associated characters or mecha. For Disclaimers regarding OCs, check previous chapters, because they _still_ apply. However, just to be sure, I also own the OC Sera Takara.  
**

* * *

Phase Twenty-Four: The Calm Before the Storm

May 17, C.E. 71

* * *

Onogoro Island

"Why are we here?" asked Kira curiously as Serenity led him, Chris, Liz, Mir and Murrue down the halls of a hospital.

"You'll see," said Serenity, stopping in front of a private room. Gently, she opened the door and led the group of former Alliance soldiers inside.

They gasped at who they saw inside.

"Tolle!" cried Mir, rushing forward to the side of her thought-deceased boyfriend.

"After examining the records from the Strike, we determined how he survived," said Serenity. "He's really quite lucky. The turn of his fighter at the last instant was the centerpiece of it all. If he hadn't reacted so quickly, the shield would've taken his head off. As it is, the shield severed the cockpit from the rest of the fighter, then shielded the cockpit from the explosion. Thanks to that and his pilot suit, he survived—barely, but he's also slipped into a coma."

"It's fine," said Mir through her tears of relief and happiness. "He's alive… Tolle… Tolle's alive…"

The others smiled slightly. A bright spot, at last. A real bright spot. They'd all thought for sure that Tolle was dead, but it seemed that, by some miracle, their friend had survived.

"I can't believe it," said Chris, shaking his head. "He's got to be the luckiest guy on Earth."

"No arguments here," said Murrue.

"Hey, if you don't mind, I think I'll take a walk," said Chris. "I need some time to think about everything."

"Alright," said Murrue. Chris nodded and left.

Chris wanted some time just to think. He hadn't really been able to since Alaska. When this whole thing started at Heliopolis, everything had been so simple. Protect the ship from ZAFT. Then Zane returned to his life, completely changed. Gone was the pacifist that believed that Naturals and Coordinators could live peacefully together. In his place, was a teen driven by pain, anger and grief. A teen who seemed to hate everyone. He knowingly tried to shoot down a civilian shuttle, proclaiming that there was no such thing as innocence in the human race. Chris had no idea what happened to him after the Bloody Valentine, but it couldn't have been good. He honestly wasn't sure what he was going to do about Zane ultimately. Was there anything left of the person he had once been? If he had no other choice, would he be able to kill him?

Then there was Flay. That had been really complicated. Now he admitted that he had been at least physically attracted to her before the destruction of Heliopolis. But then again, just about any guy would be attracted to her. Until he started spending time with her. Everything changed after that. When he had first felt truly in love with her, he didn't know. Hell, he could have been in love with her from the start but only recently realized it. Whatever it was, it didn't matter. He loved her and she loved him. That was all that mattered.

He wondered where she was right now. Mu had said that he left her in the line for their sub at JOSH-A. The sub had been bound for California. So she could be there. Or she could have been transferred to somewhere else after arriving there. But she was safe. He knew that. Sutherland had said that she would be more useful as a propaganda tool than a soldier, which meant that she wouldn't be anywhere near the fighting. She'd be safe no matter what happened. And she had the good luck too.

Finally, there were the Earth Alliance's recent actions at JOSH-A. Now, he didn't blame the Alliance for the Bloody Valentine. That was the work of Blue Cosmos, not the Alliance. And he had to admit, after fighting for the Alliance, he had felt sympathetic for them. Most would think that a Coordinator like him should favor ZAFT. But after seeing the Earth Alliance forces being wiped out time and time again by smaller ZAFT forces, it was hard to feel any sympathy for them. Especially considering that ZAFT was practically blaming the entire Alliance for Junius Seven. Some were even blaming all of the Naturals for it. That didn't sit right with him. It was the same as Blue Cosmos's rhetoric.

But then JOSH-A happened, and everything changed. The Atlantic Federation, which had at first seemed to be a desperate nation within the Earth Alliance trying to protect their people… Now they were like Blue Cosmos. Willing to do anything to ensure their victory over ZAFT and to increase their own power in the Alliance.

He wandered around for about fifteen minutes when he reached Orb's biggest and most crowded shopping district. He slowly moved through the throngs of people when he bumped into a girl. The girl fell down to the ground, the bags she was carrying spilling their contents all over the place.

"Sorry about that," he said, helping the girl get back on her feet.

The girl appeared to be no older than thirteen. She had short brown hair and matching brown eyes. "No. It's my fault. I wasn't watching were I was going," she replied as she started to gather up all of the stuff she had bought.

"Here. Let me give you a hand," said Chris, kneeling down to help her pick up her stuff.

A moment later, Chris grabbed the last fallen item, a pink cell phone. He was about to hand it to her when a voice called out.

"Mayu!"

Both turned to the source of the voice. A black haired, red-eyed teen. A year, maybe two, older than the girl. He appeared to be searching for her.

"Shinn! Over here!" shouted the girl, waving a hand in the air.

The boy ran up to them. "Come on Mayu. It's time to go."

"Alright Shinn." She turned to Chris. "Thanks for giving me a hand, Mr…"

Chris smiled. "Christopher Dante. But just call me Chris."

"I'm Mayu Asuka."

"Mayu. We have to go," said the boy in an annoyed tone.

"Alright, alright Shinn. I'm coming."

She started to walk towards her brother. "Wait! You forgot this," said Chris, raising her cell phone up.

Mayu grabbed the phone. "Thanks!" she shouted as she left with her brother.

Chris gave a small wave as she left. A normal life. He had forgotten what life was like without the war. He missed it. As much as he'd grown to love piloting the Raven, he missed being a normal teenager. But something told him he would never have a normal life again. At least, not as it was before Heliopolis's destruction.

* * *

ZAFT Supreme Council Chambers

"And if no one has any other matters to bring, then this concludes–"

"Pardon the interruption, Chairman Zala, but there is one matter that you have forgotten about," said Yuri Amalfi, interrupting the Chairman.

Patrick frowned. He had hoped that the members of the National Defense Committee that served on the Council wouldn't bring this matter up. It enraged him that the majority of the Defense Committee had agreed to such a thing.

"And what would that be?" asked Ezalia.

"With the start of the mass production of the GuAIZ, the Defense Committee has been deciding who should be given these new machines first," explained Yuri. "Much of the Committee has agreed that our best fighting force should be given the new mobile suits as soon as possible, especially, with the Earth Forces deploying their own mass-produced mobile suits. A machine that I should remind you is superior to the backbone of our own military, the GINN. The majority of the Committee voted that the Alaric Team should be amongst the first to receive the new GuAIZs. But they wish for the matter to be brought before the Council for final approval."

"But how do we know that the Alaric Team's loyalty is strong?" argued Zala. "Commander Alaric has always been a strong supporter of Ian Kessel, a man suspected of being a traitor and a spy, who has completely disappeared. His second-in-command is Kessel's own daughter."

"Unfortunately Chairman, we have yet to find anything to support such an accusation," said Louise Leitner, the Judicial Committee Chairman. "Nor have we found any evidence tying the other arrested Council members to the Clynes treachery. In fact, we have nothing to even hold them on."

Zala's expression turned into an outright scowl. "Search harder. They've been working with that traitor Clyne. I know it."

"As I said, the investigators have yet to find any solid connections to tie the arrested Council members to the Clynes and what they've done," replied Louise. "We've searched their residences and office. We've been questioning all of the families and close associates. And we haven't found anything to even point to the possibility of them being spies."

"Just keep them detained until we can find the Clynes and get this whole mess straightened out," said Patrick, trying to control is anger. If they were released now and returned to the Council, they would fight to stop GENESIS, because they were too weak and stupid to understand what needed to be done to ensure the future of the Coordinators. GENESIS must be completed, so it could usher in the Age of the Coordinators. But it was clear that even his strongest supporters wanted them returned! The fools!

"We are getting a bit off topic here," commented Yuri. "We're discussing whether or not the Alaric Team should be given the first of the new GuAIZs. Though the Defense Committee voted in favor of giving them the new GuAIZs, they also felt that due to the sensitive nature of Commander Alaric's position and Deputy Commander Kessel's family, we should be the ones to make the final decision. Personally, I'm in favor of it. They are our best unit and they deserve the best machines we have."

"I must agree as well," said Ezalia, surprising Patrick. "Regardless of their ties to _suspected_ traitors, the Alaric Team is one of our best. With the new mobile suits of the Earth Forces clearly superior to our own GINNs, we must start equipping our best combat units with the new machines immediately to counteract this new threat."

Patrick scowled. He had no other choice. "Very well then. Those in favor of giving the first of the GuAIZs to the Alaric Team?"

Most of the Council raised their hands in favor. There was no way around it now. If it were up to him, he'd have the entire unit locked up just for their traitorous actions at Panama. But the majority of the National Defense Committee had decided that they should be rewarded for their skills, ignoring their actions completely. It infuriated Patrick. Ian Kessel had fled before they could arrest him. He couldn't touch his wife, Sarah Kessel, without indisputable proof that she was a traitor. And now the man's daughter and that infuriating John Alaric were being rewarded for a blatant act of treason! Where was the justice in that?!

Perhaps it was time to have Le Creuset manipulate the evidence and remove John Alaric and Diana Kessel once and for all and replace them with people more willing to see their side of the picture.

* * *

Porta Panama

The Next Day

"The incident at Panama was regrettable and deeply disturbing. But this board has determined that there was no way for either of you to prevent such situation from occurring or stopping it once started. And Commander Alaric and his team's actions in defending the surrendering soldiers against our own forces was the only option that could have been taken to minimize the loss of life. Therefore, their shall be no disciplinary actions taken against Commanders Le Creuset and Alaric, or the Alaric Team and their allies in this action," declared Commander Thule, the Supreme Commander of ZAFT Forces on Earth. "Furthermore, due to the sheer number of soldiers participating in the unauthorized execution of surrendering Earth Alliance soldiers and our heavy losses at JOSH-A, there will be no disciplinary actions taken for this incident."

John wasn't surprised. As the Commander had said, their forces were too depleted and those that took part in the massacre too many, to punish. They'd have to punish just about every soldier in the field at the time. That was a lot of men and women to punish. To properly punish them would likely cripple ZAFT's fighting strength on Earth. And after JOSH-A, they were barely able to maintain their holdings here on Earth. If the Earth Forces could rapidly mass-produce their new mobile suits in large numbers, they would easily overrun the ZAFT bases on Earth. They'd retake the Mass Drivers of Victoria and Kaohsiung relatively quickly, moving the center stage of the war to space. To ZAFT's front yard. They needed every soldier in their armed forces fighting if they were to have any chance of winning the war now.

"Though, on a personal note, I must admit that the willingness of our own forces to kill defenseless Earth Alliance soldiers, troubles me greatly," added Commander Thule. "We are soldiers. ZAFT soldiers. We do not engage in such savagery, even if the Earth Forces themselves do it. I officially declare this matter closed."

Both Commanders saluted, waiting for the salute to be returned and for them to be dismissed.

"Commander Alaric, before you go," said the Commander as he saluted the pair. "It's been requested by the Defense Committee, that you and the your team are to return to the homeland to receive the first of our new mass-production mobile suits. Congratulations Commander. Dismissed."

"Indeed. Congratulations Alaric," said Le Creuset, offering his hand to the Black Hawk.

John stared at him for a moment before shaking his hand. He didn't believe a word the man had said the previous day about trying to stop the slaughter. He then headed for the exit. He had no desire to be near that masked snake any longer than he had to. His subordinates, as always, were waiting outside for him.

"So what's our punishment?" asked Ajay as he exited the room.

"They're giving us new mobile suits fresh off the assembly line," said John.

"Damn. That means I got to get used to a whole new machine now," complained Ajay. "Couldn't they have just locked us up or something?"

John chuckled, but otherwise ignored his comments.

"Inform the men that we'll be heading out soon," he ordered. "And that we'll be returning to the homeland to receive our new mobile suits. Diana, contact Lee and the rest of the team. Tell them that we'll be taking the Kaohsiung Mass Driver to return to space and that I'll contact him with more details once I've secured our means of transportation."

"Sir!" said the Deputy Commander and the four lieutenants of the Alaric Team before carrying out his orders.

John sighed, and thought back to the previous day, specifically that new prototype. While these Strike Daggers were clearly a mass-produced version of the Strike—though they were actually more reminiscent of the Duel in terms of abilities—that other machine they'd encountered had obviously been a successor to the Dauntless, and the mere thought of it turned John's stomach.

Both mobile suit and pilot had seemed like nothing more than demonic variants of the Dauntless and its pilot. That new machine's pilot had fought recklessly, viciously, and remorselessly, and the style was similar to that of the Dauntless pilot. But the Dauntless pilot had fought with grace, reservation, and an undeniable underlying honor, motivated by a desire to protect.

That new pilot had sought only destruction.

Somewhat idly, John wondered if it was some kind of twisted fate. In their one real encounter with it—Artemis didn't really count—the Alaric Team had lost more pilots and suits to the Dauntless than to any other single Earth Alliance force in the war prior. Now though, this successor had scored even more kills. Even Lisa had lost one of her girls to that monster.

Silently, John hoped that that machine and its pilot got their due, preferably from one of the pilots of the legged ship. After all, it was their comrade whose memory was being disgraced.

* * *

Atlantic Federation High Command

The Pentagon

May 29th, C.E. 71

In a secret room underneath the Pentagon, a group of men were arguing. But these were not ordinary men. They were the ones who ran the Atlantic Federation. And now, because of JOSH-A, the Earth Alliance as well.

"This is humiliating! Our success at JOSH-A is virtually worthless now that we've lost Panama!" shouted an enraged Secretary Raynes.

JOSH-A had been a major success for them, greatly weakening ZAFT as well as the Eurasian Federation, enabling them to take control of the Alliance as a whole. But with the loss of Panama, things were in jeopardy of turning against them.

"Our Lunar bases will exhaust their stores very quickly with the supply route from Panama cut off!" said Foreign Minister Wade, his tone just as angry. "How are we supposed to launch a counteroffensive with this situation?!"

"We're accelerating our plan to recapture Victoria," answered Defense Minister Keegan, trying calm the worried and angry Heads of the Atlantic Federation. "But it's not going to be easy to take their Mass Driver undamaged."

The wary President of the Atlantic Federation let out a sigh. Just when they had completely turned the war around in their favor, ZAFT had struck back, reversing things and returning the disadvantage to the Alliance.

"And what about Orb? What's the latest news on them?" asked President Griffin.

"We've repeatedly asked for their assistance. But that stubborn fool Uzumi Nara Athha refuses to see things our way," replied Wade, disgust in his tone for the neutral nation and it's esteemed leader. "Even Serenity Sakaeru Taiyonoha refuses to see things our way, even though her niece was murdered by ZAFT."

Worse news for them. Orb's Mass Driver was the only one not under the control of ZAFT. They had hoped that they could reason with Orb and bring them into the fold. But their damn belief of neutrality was stopping that from happening.

Virtually unnoticed and ignored by the men in the room, was the sound of fingers tapping on the table.

"Oh really? Is it because they're… neutral?" drawled Azrael as his fingers repeatedly tapped the table. "That's just not right, now is it? Not when all the others risking their lives, fighting against… mankind's enemy."

"Azrael, I wish you won't phrase it in such an extreme manner. We are not Blue Cosmos," said Griffin sternly.

Griffin didn't particularly care for Azrael. He was a bit too extreme for his liking. But the man was the Director of the Atlantic National Defense Conglomerate, the main arms manufacture for the Atlantic Federation. As a result, he wielded a great deal of power within the Federation. Griffin would never deny that he wanted to win the war, but he certainly had nothing against Coordinators personally—for him, this was a war between the PLANTs and their sponsor nations, not between Naturals and Coordinators.

Azrael stopped tapping his fingers, making an apologetic shrug. "Sorry," he said. "No offense was intended. But I simply cannot understand why you people continue to tolerate a nation like that. One that hides behind such flimsy excuses. I think we've reached a point in this conflict where being neutral is a luxury."

"But the Orb Union is a completely independent sovereign nation. We have to acknowledge that," replied the President.

"Yes. But Orb is a nation of Earth, isn't it?" commented Azrael. "That means it should be obligated to cooperate with the Alliance. That only seems fair, now doesn't it? If you'd like, I'll be more than happy to lead the negotiations. I'll deal with Orb."

Many of the officials stared at Azrael, unsure of what he was planning.

"What do you mean?" asked the uncertain Foreign Minister.

Azrael stood up. "Our priority is to get our hands onto someone's Mass Driver. And right away. Why settle for one when you could have two?"

Many seemed convinced. But not President Griffin. "Well… yes but–"

Azrael cut him off. "You'll be quite busy planning the Victoria Operation. It would be more efficient to divide these responsibilities. And while we're at it, we might even have a chance to test the new toys."

"You're planning on using the new machines?" asked Minister Keegan.

"It all depends on how our esteemed counterpart reacts," said Azrael, a predatory grin appearing on his face. "If the noble Mr. Athha is even half as stubborn as he's rumored to be, then I think we could find ourselves in for a little excitement."

Griffin scowled. So, Azrael wanted to declare war on Orb? The name 'Earth Alliance' did not give them the right to force all the nations of Earth to be their allies!

But Azrael had too much support. Griffin sighed in defeat, and silently swore an oath that if he was still President when Azrael finally hung himself, as Griffin was certain he would, he'd make sure men like Azrael never gained the power to control the Federation again!

* * *

Hotaru's House, the Marshall Islands

May 30th, C.E. 71

Hotaru stared up at the pair of mobile suits descending towards her home, one silver-white and black, the other black and white. Both looked downright formidable, but there was also something majestic about them, especially the one with wings. The cockpits of the two suits opened, and a pair of ZAFT redcoats descended on the zipline, stepping off and walking towards her upon reaching the ground. The two reached up and took off their helmets.

Hotaru's frown melted to a smile.

"Erik, Michiru, welcome back," she said. "And it's nice to see that you're actually awake for this visit, Michiru."

Michiru smiled slightly. "I'm glad to really meet you, Aino-san," she said. "And you have my thanks for saving my life."

Hotaru waved it off. "Just Hotaru is fine," she said. "And you're welcome. Come in, I imagine you have a good reason for this visit."

"Yes," said Erik. "Well, mostly, we just hoped you'd allow us to stay here while we waited. We're looking for a friend of Athrun and I, but we believe he's in Orb, in which case we won't find him unless he makes the first move."

"I see," said Hotaru, leading them into her house. "That's fine. Stay as long as you like. I don't enjoy the thought of conflict being brought to my little corner of the world, but war is spreading. Besides, I don't get many visitors. Even my neighbor, Reverend Malchio, doesn't really know that I'm here."

"Is that so?" asked Michiru, frowning. Hotaru nodded, but again waved it off.

"Well, let's get you two out of those pilot suits," she said. "You could be here awhile, right?"

"Yes," said Erik. "Thank you."

Hotaru nodded and left them in the family room, heading first for the living room. She quickly snatched the picture she'd put Michiru's chain necklace on from the wall and replaced it with an entirely unrelated picture altogether. She'd hide this one, for now, along with the chain necklace.

Then, she headed for her room.

* * *

Onogoro Island

Two days later

"Has there been any word from those fighters I heard you sent to Eurasia?" asked Serenity as Petr Denisov sat down opposite her at the same meeting table where she'd first met the _Archangel_'s officers.

"None," said Denisov grimly. "Either they've been shot down by the Atlantic Federation, or the Eurasian Federation really was in on Alaska."

"What will you do?" asked Serenity. Denisov was quiet for several moments, thinking over everything that had happened.

"The only thing I believe I can," he said, finally. "Particularly given what I've heard regarding the pressure on Orb. Lady Serenity Sakaeru Taiyonoha." Denisov stood up. "I request asylum from the Orb Union for myself, my ships, and all the men aboard those ships."

Serenity gave a slight smile.

"As it happens, the request has already been granted, if given," said Serenity. "I discussed this with the parliament, the Chief Representative, and the other Nobles. We agreed that, should you request it, you and your people would be granted asylum. Also, I heard reports that you've got an excess of pilots, but no fighters for them?"

"That's correct," said Denisov with a slight nod. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," said Serenity. "You do realize, however, that if things continue as they are, you may end up fighting the Atlantic Federation in defense of Orb?"

Denisov grinned. "I think my people would enjoy that," he said. "We'd need a new supply of fighters from Orb, but…"

"Your pilots are easily the best there are," said Serenity. "To have survived against ZAFT's mobile suits with mere fighters? No, you won't be getting any fighters. You're pilots will be given mobile suits. The best mass-produced mobile suit out there."

"You have Natural-operable mobile suits?" questioned Denisov. Serenity smiled.

"Yes," she said. "The OS was actually designed by the _Archangel_'s pilots, and with it, our M1 Astrays can outperform any ZAFT mobile suit out there… and even these new Strike Daggers that the Earth Forces are using are no match, technologically or otherwise, for our machines. But what they do have is numbers. If war comes to Orb, then we'll need to rely on the bravery, will, and determination of the pilots on the frontlines. No longer do we live in an era where pilots were merely a dangerous nuisance, where warships were the key to any naval battle. We've entered the era where the mobile suit is the ultimate weapon of war, and the centerpiece of all conflict."

* * *

Hotaru's House

"Like them?" asked Hotaru, walking up behind Michiru. The still heavily bandaged silver-eyed girl looked over her shoulder as the older brunette approached, and nodded.

"These pictures," she said. "They remind me of some people I know."

"I'm not surprised," said Hotaru. "It all comes down to something called 'Divinity', whatever that is. My benefactor never told me much about it."

"Benefactor?" asked Michiru. Hotaru nodded to one of the smaller, more obscure pictures.

"Sera Takara," she said. The woman in the photo had shoulder-length, light brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. Michiru gasped in surprise. "What? Is something wrong?"

Michiru's silver eye turned to lock with Hotaru's blue orbs.

"Sera Takara is my godmother," she said. Hotaru's eyes widened.

"Wow," she said. "There's a surprise. Guess our meeting was fate, huh?"

"Maybe more than you know," said Michiru quietly. "Do you know what happened to her? She's been out of contact for the better part of nine months now, and my family's been tight-lipped about it."

Hotaru sighed. "She's dead," said Hotaru softly. "Murdered by Blue Cosmos."

"I see," said Michiru. "I've missed her."

"Let's get off the depressing subject, shall we?" said Hotaru. Silently, Michiru nodded, and the two headed for the kitchen, where Erik and Athrun—who'd decided to join them—were waiting.

* * *

Five Days Later

"Trying to make a statement, Michiru?" asked Hotaru as she finished reading the music and lyrics sheets the wounded girl had written on the way to the PLANTs. "'I'll find you somewhere, I'll keep on trying.' Someone you're looking for?"

"No," said Michiru, quietly. The girl was always quiet. She mostly just responded to questions with nods or shakes of her head, and it was really starting to bug the brunette. "It's just a song from the heart. Shouldn't they all be?"

Hotaru was surprised. Michiru had used more words in the span of those few seconds than she had in all her time since she first arrived. According to Athrun and Erik, she was most talkative when she'd been in the Faith, and even then spoke quietly, so that they had to strain somewhat to hear her clearly.

"Yes," she said. "All songs should be from the heart. So long as you're being talkative, care to tell me why it is that you're still sticking to Athrun and Erik instead of heading home?"

Michiru simply shook her head.

"Agh!" cried Hotaru in frustration.

* * *

Morgenroete Taiyonoha District Test Ground

Two Days Later

"Never thought this area would be put to use as a training facility," commented Erica.

"It's still a test of the new systems and machines," said Shizuka. "It's simply doubling as orientation for the pilots, and a test of their performance against a machine like the Freedom. They fully acknowledge they may face the Freedom's 'siblings' on their current path."

"Kira's still the best of them," said Cagalli. "I'm not sure this test is fair, even with the others outnumbering him four-to-one."

Serenity smirked. "No, it's not a fair test," she said. "But then… who ever said war, or even life, was fair? You may begin the test."

"Mr. Yamato, Mr. La Flaga, Mr. Cain, Mr. Dante, Ms. Dante, you have approval to begin the mock battle," said the operator.

Instantly, the Strike surged forward, Mu slashing his beam saber towards the Freedom. Without effort, Kira deflected with his shield. The Xiphias guns snapped into place, firing instantly on the Raven, Chris barely dodging in time by leaping into the air. Liz transformed the Guardian into mobile armor mode and took to the air, while Victor wrapped the active cloak around the Talos II, activating the camouflaging PSA in the cloak, disappearing from sight.

No stranger to being outnumbered, Kira leapt backwards just as Liz bombarded the spot where the Freedom had stood, and fired the Lupus rifle with precision accuracy at the Guardian. Unable to dodge the incredibly precise shot, Liz shifted back to mobile suit mode and took the shot with her shield. Reacting quickly, Kira snapped both Balaena into place and fired on the Guardian's shield. However, it was only a quick shot, as Kira dodged Victor's sniper rifle, to the surprise of all present.

Even still, the quick shot badly shook the Guardian's shield, despite the new upgrades that had been applied to it and the anti-beam coating.

Chris shifted the Raven to MA mode and opened up with his machineguns as he closed quickly with the Freedom. Kira took to the air and slammed the Freedom's shield into the underbelly of the Raven, flipping Chris and slamming the Raven to the ground. Kira flew up, spreading the Freedom's wings into HiMAT mode, spun around, and opened fire with all his weapons. His four opponents dodged the weapons fire, and the mock battle continued.

* * *

Earth Alliance _Tarawa_-Class Carrier, the _Powell_

Outside Orb Territorial Waters

June 13th, C.E. 71

"The neutral nation of Orb. What a detestable nation," commented Captain Oswald, staring out at the Orb mainland. "Bring the fleet to a full stop."

"Sir," said the comm. officer before relaying his orders to the entire fleet.

Azrael smiled as the fleet came to stop. Orb hadn't mobilized their forces yet. They knew what was coming and were merely gathering their strength. But it would be pointless in the end.

"It's time to give them our ultimatum," said the smug director.

"Do you really think Orb will submit?" asked Oswald.

"Not likely with Uzumi Nara Athha in charge. No. They'll fight. To the bitter, bloody end," replied Azrael, the grin never leaving his face for a second.

Oswald turned to Azrael. "What's the status on those new machines of yours?"

"The mobile suits will be ready for the battle," said Azrael. "And the doctors have assured me that the pilots will as well."

The Captain grunted. "I don't like the idea of giving our seven new mobile suits to a group of science experiments. They should be given to our aces, not those freaks."

"Need I remind you that because of ZAFT's technological superiority, most of our aces are dead?" said Azrael. "Besides, most of our aces couldn't hope to match their abilities."

Azrael was so very pleased with himself. His plans were going off without a hitch. Everything was falling into place. Soon Athha and Taiyonoha would be removed and Orb's Mass Driver, along with Morgenroete and its technology, would be theirs. Then all that would be left would be to deal with the PLANTs and the Coordinator threat once and for all.

* * *

Hotaru's House

The Next Day

The three guests and the house resident watched the news broadcast grimly. They all knew Orb would never surrender to the Alliance. Even when Athrun had mocked Cagalli as to whether or not Orb had joined the Earth Forces, he'd never really believed the island nation would do so. And now, with full control of the Earth Alliance, the Atlantic Federation had managed to adopt a "you're either with us or against us" stance, for no better reason than to increase their chances of destroying the PLANTs.

"What will you do now?" asked Hotaru. "Will you go to Orb?

"Yes," said Athrun, standing up. "We need to keep an eye out for the Freedom if nothing else. Thanks for letting us stay here. It's been… fun."

It had been. Even watching their surroundings like hawks, the nearly two weeks at Hotaru's house had been a fairly relaxing time for all of them, and a chance for them to just forget about the war somewhat and act _normal_.

Michiru had even managed to remove most of her bandages, and the others had been astounded to discover completely unblemished skin beneath, with no evidence remaining that she'd ever been burned at all, though some places, such as her right eye and head, were still bandaged.

"I hope we meet again someday, Hotaru," said Erik, waving to her as he followed Athrun.

"As do I," said Hotaru as Michiru stood up to follow the other two. "Michiru, wait. There's something I need to talk to you about. _Alone_."

"That's fine," said Erik. "I needed to talk to Athrun about something in private as well."

"We'll wait for you," said Athrun as Michiru turned to face Hotaru.

"Please follow me," said Hotaru, standing up and heading to the stairs. Michiru did so, wondering what in the world could be going on.

Outside, Athrun turned curiously to Erik.

"What's up?" he asked.

"It's about Michiru," said Erik. "You know all those times she went out to practice?"

"Yeah," said Athrun. Michiru had regularly been flying out in the Faith on what the others assumed was practice. After all, she'd never piloted a mobile suit before.

"I think we misinterpreted her actions," said Erik. "I followed her one night. She went to the site of the battle." Athrun gasped. "And she seemed to be searching for something."

"Something from the wreckage? Maybe some personal item that was lost?" suggested Athrun. Erik shook his head.

"I don't think so," he said. "There's something else. I'm sure you've guessed it as well. Michiru… well, we know more about her than we thought we did."

Meanwhile, Hotaru had led Michiru to her study, where a black box and a chain necklace were sitting on the desk.

"I believe these belong to you," said Hotaru, handing Michiru the chain necklace first. Michiru looked at the necklace and gasped.

"You… you knew?" she said. Hotaru smiled.

"Erik didn't notice," she said. "I took them before he could. I thought you might like that bit of information kept quiet, and it seems my suspicions were right."

"I… thank you, Hotaru," said Michiru, putting the chain necklace back on.

"Also, this black box is yours," said Hotaru. "It's from the wreckage. Take it with you." Michiru nodded and picked up the black box.

"Good luck out there," said Hotaru as Michiru walked out. "Angel of Faith."

Michiru paused for a moment and then, with a slight smile, continued to walk on.

Hotaru watched through the window as Michiru rejoined the others, the three donned pilot suits, and climbed aboard their machines.

As the Justice and Conviction took off, Michiru stared at the black box for a moment, then set it behind her seat. Taking off her helmet, she put that behind the seat as well, and removed the bandages around her head, leaving only the one covering her right eye, and allowing her largely uneven hair to fall freely to between her shoulder blades. Gripping the controls, she looked at the cockpit around her.

"Faith… let's go," she said. "It's time we returned home."

With that, the Faith Gundam took to the air, following after its companions, ready to fight for the sake of peace.

* * *

**Author's Notes: Well now... that was interesting. Besides confirmation that Tolle really was that other pilot Cagalli and Kisaka talked about recovering, we also get a fair number of scenes with Athrun, Erik, Michiru and Hotaru, and it seems that, besides Erik guessing some stuff about Michiru, Hotaru knows more about Michiru than she's been letting on. Also, it seems that Hotaru has her own ties to this "Divinity", and since Michiru's godmother was apparently among them, she's likely connected as well. But it still doesn't answer the question of just what the hell "Divinity" is. Also, what's up with the chain necklace and black box? That doesn't make any sense...**

**Oh well. Next chapter, we have the Battle of Onogoro, and the real introduction of my variant Strike 2.0, the enigmatic Hellfire Blitz, and the BioCPU Gundams, Supremacy, Deliverance and Twilight. But that only accounts for four machines... then we've got the Relentless already introduced... well, it's obvious what the final two Original Mecha to be introduced are, and we'll even receive a sample of what they can do next chapter. I feel all giddy inside!**

**Anyways, the next chapter is actually already ready, but I want people to take a look at this and tell me what they think. In other words, I want reviews. I want to know what people think of the stuff in this chapter. Once at least all of my regular reviewers (SulliMike23, Morbious20, Infinite Freedom, Devil Rebel, Peloponnese, MisterSP, Chronostorm, Kiiroi Senko, Thawn716, and occasionally exia00, AkatsukiLeader13, Deathzealot, nuku nuku6, and sashu) have left reviews, I'll post the next chapter. I might make an exception here or there, but if you've read this and have a review to leave, then do so.**

**Anyone who tries to help by leaving one line reviews--i.e. "keep up the good job"--will be tracked down, infected with a virus, and then hunted down with numerous bladed weapons.**

**Alright, and the rest of you (you only have to worry about the above threat if you were in the above list ^_^), please leave a review as well, and look forward to the next chapter!**

**Ja ne!  
**


	26. Phase 25: Land of War

**Well, here it is. Something a lot of people have been waiting for: The Battle of Onogoro. Or rather, the beginning of the Battle of Onogoro. There's a lot going on here, and this contains I'd guess about an even mix of original stuff and partially edited stuff from Akatsuki Leader13's version. But I promise you, this chapter... well, it's nothing in comparison to what you get next chapter, except that I introduce the Hellfire Bltiz here. That machine and the Twilight have made everything even more worthwhile for me. Even though their not purely original, those machines just come across to me as undiluted awesomeness in a form that could never truly be achieved visually and is left solely to the imagination.**

**Anyways, here are some of the new mechs being introduced here.**

_"It's a good machine. Damn thing saved my life. If you hadn't built it… well, I still would've fought, and I probably wouldn't be alive right now."_ – Tolle Koenig.**  
MX1 Athena:**  
Description:  
A prototype for a limited production variant of the M1 Astray, intended to serve as Orb's equivalent to ZAFT's CGUE mobile suit. The Athena is faster and more maneuverable than the Strike Gundam and possesses hardpoints for mounting Striker Packs. Although capable of mounting the original Striker Packs, Morgenroete has begun development on a series of Striker Packs specifically for the Athena. By the time of the Battle of Orb, only three packs were finished and combat ready: the close-combat Palace Striker, sniper-role Aile Sniper Striker and the Raven Striker. The prototype was given to former _Archangel_ pilot Tolle Koenig by the Taiyonoha Family when he awoke from a coma in the middle of the Battle of Onogoro.

**Model Number:** MBF-MX1**  
Overall Height:** 17.53 meters**  
Weight:** 54.61 tons**  
Power Plant:** Ultracompact Energy Battery**  
Special Model Features:** Phase Shift Armor, Hardpoints for mounting Striker Packs,**  
Fixed Armament:** 2x "Igelstellung" 75mm Automatic Multi-Barrel CIWS, fire-linked, mounted in head; 2x "Armor Schneider" Assault Knife, stored in hips, hand-carried in use;**  
P201QX Palace Striker Armament:** 2x Anti-Armor Sword, stored on Palace Striker, hand-carried in use; Type 71 beam rifle, stored on waist, hand-carried in use; "Mamoru" Weapon Shield System: 50mm Pulse Beam Rifle, mounted on the left arm;**  
P202QX Aile Sniper Striker Armament:** 60mm Long-Range Beam Sniper Rifle, stored in two components on sides of Aile Sniper Striker, hand-carried in use; Beam Pistol, stored on Aile Sniper Striker, hand-carried in use; Active Camouflage Defense Cloak;**  
P203QX Raven Striker Armament**: 2x 52mm Hyper-Velocity Cannon, mounted on Raven Striker, positioned over shoulders in use; 2x M2M3 76mm machinegun, mounted on underside of Raven Striker wings;  
**Pilot:** Tolle Koenig  
**Appearance:** Identical to the M1 Astray, but lacking the M1s flightpack and with slightly thicker hip armor to store the assault knives.  
**Color:** Customizable by pilot, default colors match the M1 Astray  
**Notes:** Originally, I was going to have John switch to this machine to establish a bit more difference between his machine and Victor's, but I like the idea of Tolle in this machine, and it certainly contributes to his ability to survive his first mobile suit battle, so it makes sense. Anyways, aside from the addition of the Aile Sniper and Raven Strikers and removal of the Heavy-Arms Striker, this machine is pretty much unchanged from the one in _Gundam SEED: A Retelling_, though I did change the color scheme as well.

_"Alright. Let's see just what this thing can do!" _– Victor Cain.**  
Talos II:**  
Description:  
The 'Strike II' is a variant of the Strike Gundam intended to be adapted for commando-style tasks and missions. The first of these machines has an Aile Sniper Striker hardwired into the machine, giving it both excellent mobility and making for an excellent and versatile sniper machine. The Aile Sniper also features an active cmouflage defense cloak, allowing the machine to remain virtually invisible as it snipes enemy machines from long-range. Given to _Archangel_ mercenary pilot Victor Cain, this first machine was codenamed Talos II, after Victor's original GINN.

**Model Number:** MBF-XX105+P202QX**  
Overall Height:** 17.88 meters**  
Weight:** 83.7 tons**  
Power Plant:** Ultracompact Energy Battery**  
Special Model Features:** Phase Shift Armor, Active Camouflage Defense Cloak, Aile Sniper Striker,**  
Fixed Armament:** 2x "Igelstellung" 75mm Automatic Multi-Barrel CIWS, fire-linked, mounted in head; 2x Beam Saber, stored in hips, hand-carried in use; 2x "Armor Schneider" Assault Knife, stored in forearms, hand-carried in use; Beam Pistol, stored on Aile Sniper Striker, hand-carried in use;**  
Optional Hand Armament:** 60mm Long-Range Beam Sniper Rifle**  
Pilot:** Victor Cain  
**Appearance:** Another Strike unit. Its Aile Sniper Pack is almost identical to the normal Aile Striker, save that it lacks the beam sabers. Instead, it holds the beam pistol where the left saber was, while the spot where the right one was is replaced with an improved sensor and targeting unit for the rifle. Its sniper rifle is similar to the sniper rifle of the Astray Blue Frame Second G.  
**Color:** Gray with dark gray trim.  
**Notes:** I changed this from the original "Strike 2.0" in Akatsuki Leader13's version. I removed its original Camo Phase Armor, and instead set it to simply being a unit that was permanently customized with a Striker pack and to suit the pilot's preferences, in order to improve specialization somewhat over what the Strike could have. At the time of the Battle of Onogoro, some of the equipment isn't ready yet, so Victor isn't using a "complete" version, but he's only lacking some hardpoints for storing a few additional weapons, which will be added at a later date.

_"For the preservation of our Blue and Pure World! Die, you filthy rotten Coordinators!"_ – Christian Balliet.**  
Deliverance Gundam:**  
Description:  
The Deliverance Gundam is one of seven new Earth Alliance prototypes deployed in the invasion of the Orb Union. Based on an X100-series frame similar to that of the Resolute Gundam, this new machine is likewise designed to deliver an overwhelming level of firepower—hence the name. However, besides it improved Trans-Phase Armor, the Deliverance includes more than twice as much firepower and vastly improved weapons, far outclassing the Resolute. This machine is assigned to voluntary biological CPU Christian Balliet, the Blue Cosmos 'Hero of the Bloody Valentine' responsible for the destruction of Junius Seven.

**Model Number:** GAT-X135**  
Overall Height:** 18.41 meters**  
Weight:** 87.46 tons**  
Power Plant:** Ultracompact Energy Battery**  
Special Model Features:** Trans-Phase Armor, Hoverjet Leg Thrusters,**  
Fixed Armament:** 2x Beam Saber, concealed in wrist armor, hand-carried in use, sabers double as wrist-mounted beam guns; 4x "Reaver" 95mm Gatling Cannon, fire-linked, mounted in chest; 2x 105mm Machine Cannon, fire-linked, mounted on shoulders; 2x "Igelstellung" 75mm Automatic Multi-Barrel CIWS, fire-linked, mounted in head; 2x 22-tube 180mm Micro Missile Pod, five rounds per tube, mounted in shoulder armor; 2x 4-tube 180mm Micro Missile Launcher, five rounds per tube, mounted on hip armor; 4x 9-tube 220mm Guided Missile Launcher, five rounds per tube, mounted on legs;**  
Optional Hand Armament:** 2x "Fenrir" Double Beam Gatling Gun, equipped with independent batteries; 2x Double Nuclear Missile Launcher;**  
Pilot:** Christian Balliet**  
Appearance: **The Deliverance looks virtually identical to the Heavyarms Kai from Endless Waltz, but with smaller version's of the Raider's thrusters mounted in the ankles, four gatlings concealed around the cockpit instead of two just over it, with a wider waist to account and thicker wrist armor to hold the sabers.**  
Colors: **Solid black, with blue trimming, red feet, joints, and hands, a white 'faceplate', and golden 'v crest' and shoulder spikes.**  
Notes:** Originally, this machine was supposed to be the Conviction, which was also originally named Marauder. However, I definitely prefer this as a 'villain' machine, with an enormous level of firepower that can put even nuclear-powered machines like the Freedom on edge. While similar to the redesigned Massacre Gundam of Akatsuki Leader13, that's to be expected since they're both based on the Heavyarms—after all, this is the successor to the Resolute. The only real difference between this machine and the Heavyarms Kai of Endless Waltz is that it packs a much heavier complement of missiles, has beam sabers and the ability to hover along the ground, similar to Doms, and it can also leap into the air and hover up there for awhile, similar to the Aile Strike.

_"Uh, Kira? I think they liked the Strike enough to overlook the fact that a Coordinator piloted it…"_ – Mu La Flaga, catching sight of the Strike-like Supremacy Gundam.**  
Supremacy Gundam:**  
Description:  
The Supremacy Gundam is one of seven new Earth Alliance prototypes deployed in the invasion of the Orb Union. Based on an X100-series frame similar to that of the Strike Gundam, this new machine is likewise designed for versatility. However, where the Strike achieved that through the use of Striker packs, the Supremacy instead mounts the weapons of the Aile, Launcher, and Sword Striker packs with two mobile assault wings based on those of the Dauntless Gundam. Combined with its improved Trans-Phase Armor, this makes the Supremacy far superior to its predecessor—in theory. Assigned to the biological CPU Roslyn Nawda, this machine is perhaps the calmest and most in control of the prototypes serving directly under Azrael.

**Model Number:** GAT-X150**  
Overall Height:** 17.72 meters**  
Weight:** 87.19 tons**  
Power Plant:** Ultracompact Energy Battery**  
Special Model Features:** Trans-Phase Armor; 2 Mobile Assault Wings;**  
Fixed Armament:** 15.78m Anti-Ship Blade "Schwert Gewehr", stored behind right shoulder, hand-carried in use; 320mm Hyper Impulse Cannon "Agni", stored behind left shoulder, hand-carried in use; Beam Boomerang "Midas Messer", stored on left shoulder, hand-carried in use; Combo Weapons Pod (120mm Anti-Ship Vulcan Cannon, 2x 350mm Gun-Launcher), mounted on right shoulder; Rocket Anchor "Panzer Eisen", mounted on small shield on left forearm, can be fired out on a line; 2x Beam Saber, stored on hips, hand-carried in use; 2x Assault Knife "Armor Schneider", stored in hips, hand-carried in use; 2x 75mm Automatic Multi-Barrel CIWS "Igelstellung", fire-linked, mounted in head;**  
Optional Hand Armament:** 57mm High-Energy Beam Rifle**  
Pilot:** Roslyn Nawda**  
Appearance: **The Supremacy is identical in appearance to the Strike, but with the wings of the Wing Gundam, and the weapons of the three primary Striker packs mounted all at once, excepting the Aile Striker's shield.**  
Colors: **Same color scheme as the Strike, but the weapons are all solid black.**  
Notes:** Originally designed for _Gundam SEED: The Myriad_, the Supremacy was something I'd envision a lot: a Strike mounted all three Striker packs at once. I originally planned to use a different machine, but decided that this was a lot better and something that I definitely wanted to see in _SEED Dauntless_. And, well… here it is. I don't think I need to go into any further detail here.

_"Hahaha! Mama, Papa, watch me destroy this despicable nation! Then, I'll make you proud when I kill those monsters that murdered you! Just watch!"_ – Louisa Kohl.**  
Twilight Gundam:**  
Description:  
The Twilight Gundam is one of seven new Earth Alliance prototypes deployed in the invasion of the Orb Union. Based on an X200-series frame like that of the Blitz Gundam, this machine features several unique weapons systems. Its unique wings are built to scatter Mirage Colloid particles through the air as it flies, sowing confusion across the battlefield as it scrambles visuals, sensors, and even energy beams. To support this, its primary weapons are a pair of powerful solid-projectile railguns and missile launchers, while it can employ extendable claw arms, a pair of short-range beam cannons, and a unique beam staff for close combat to generate a powerful multi-role mobile suit. This formidable mobile suit, possibly the strongest of the new prototypes, is assigned to the strongest of the pilots designated biological CPUs, Louisa Kohls, who is almost as insane as her machine is powerful.

**Model Number:** GAT-X264**  
Overall Height:** 17.88 meters**  
Weight:** 76.59 tons**  
Power Plant:** Ultracompact Energy Battery**  
Special Model Features:** Trans-Phase Armor, Mirage Colloid Scattering Wing Array,**  
Fixed Armament:** 2x "Vertilgung" 128mm Railgun, stored on backpack, mounted over shoulders in use; 2x "Drache Schild" Extendable Claw Arm: 2x Flamethrower, Electric Burst Generator, mounted on arms; 2x 12-tube 180mm Micro Missile Launcher, five rounds per tube, mounted in shoulders; 2x "Skorpion" Beam Cannon, fire-linked, mounted on backpack "stinger tail";**  
Optional Hand Armament:** Beam Staff**  
Pilot:** Louisa Kohls**  
Appearance: **The Twilight resembles the Altron from Endless Waltz, save that it possesses missile launchers like the Heavyarms Kai on the shoulders, the "stinger tail" beam cannons of the TV version of Altron, railguns resembling those of the IWSP and wings resembling those of the Freedom in the "down position" of HiMAT mode, like in the images of it dueling the Impulse—the wings don't spread out fully, but rather, are swept downward.**  
Colors: **The Twilight has a midnight black torso, wings, skirt and shoulder armor, with white limbs, silver trimming, and silver forearms. The "Drache Schild" have the golden claws of the original Dragon Fangs, with the body being primarily midnight black, while the 'line' that it shoots out on is white.**  
Notes:** Originally, the Twilight was an 'ordinary' Mirage Colloid suit with an overwhelming level of firepower, intended to perform nuclear blitzkrieg assaults on the PLANTs. That version was also the original mobile suit of Christian Balliet. It was also a suit of _Gundam SEED: The Myriad_, and I personally prefer this Altron-like version of it. The "Drache Schild" also double as the machine's shields, and on their own, their quite formidable weapons. Complemented by everything else, including the most powerful of the Biological CPUs? Well, can you blame me for suggesting it's the strongest of their new machines? This is one incredible mobile suit, if you ask me.

**Additionally, just as in the case of Akatsuki Leader13's story, all the older Gundams have been upgraded with improved batteries and somewhat less power-intensive Phase Shift Armor (though it's still not Trans-Phase Armor). In the case of the Raven and Guardian, they've also been upgraded to be able to fly in mobile suit mode, though the Guardian is still better in this area than the Raven.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED or any of the associated characters or mecha. I do not own Christopher Dante, Elizabeth Dante, Johanna Dante, Samuel Dante, or Saul Kessel, and to a limited extent, Victor Cain is also not my property. I do not own the MBF-MX1 Athena, GAT-X204 Surge Gundam or the GAT-X302 Raven Gundam, and again within certain limits, the MBF-XX105 Talos II. I do own the Taiyonoha family, Louisa Kohls, Christian Balliet, Roslyn Nawda, Kazuo Endo and Erik Saharin. I also own the GAT-X308 Guardian Gundam, GAT-X135 Deliverance Gundam (within certain limits), GAT-X150 Supremacy Gundam, GAT-X160 Relentless Gundam, GAT-X264 Twilight Gundam, ZGMF-X15A Conviction Gundam and ZGMF-X16A Faith Gundam.  
**

* * *

Phase Twenty-Five: Land of War

June 15th, C.E. 71

* * *

Orb Military Headquarters

General Samuel Dante walked through the corridors of Orb's Military Headquarters, his mind focused on the battle to come. Lord Uzumi had left him in charge of Orb's defense, a task that he couldn't and wouldn't fail. Over the last several days, they had planned and prepared for the upcoming invasion. Though in the end, he knew they could never hope to beat the Earth Forces numbers, even with the aid of the skilled pilots and soldiers of the Eurasian battlegroup. Truthfully, deep down, everyone knew they couldn't win. But beating the Alliance wasn't what he sought in this battle. What he sought was to give the Earth Forces a mauling that they would never forget. They may conquer Orb, but every foot they claimed would cost them greatly. As he entered the command center, everyone inside stopped what they were doing and saluted him. Save for the only non-soldiers, Cagalli and, to his surprise, Serenity and Misuumi Taiyonoha.

"At ease," he said, returning the salute and concealing his surprise and curiosity. "What's the status of our forces?"

"All defense forces are in position and awaiting orders sir," an officer answered.

"The civilian evacuation?" he asked.

"Approximately forty-four percent of civilian population has been evacuated sir. Another flotilla of ships will be leaving within the hour, with an additional twenty percent of the population. The rest of the population should be evacuated by dusk sir. Should we move a unit to provide cover for them sir?"

Samuel let out a quiet sigh as he leaned on the edge of the massive display table. Dusk was hours away. A third of Onogoro's population stuck on the island while a battle raged on… That did not sit well with him. "No. They'll be safer if we keep our units away from the civilian docks. Pass the order to our forces to stay away from the evacuation sites unless they come under attack," replied Samuel grimly, moving from the table. "Patch me through to all of Orb's defense forces."

"Yes sir," said one of the comm. officers.

He picked up a headset. "This is General Samuel Dante to all Orb Defense Forces. As you know, an Earth Alliance fleet is approaching Orb. Their goal is to force us to submit to them, one way or another. The Orb government has refused to submit to them and they are coming to conquer Orb," said Samuel to the defenders. "I know many of you are wondering why we shouldn't just submit to the Earth Alliance and save ourselves from the approaching storm. But if we sided with the Earth Forces, than it would only be a matter of time before ZAFT attacked us. And if we joined ZAFT, the Earth Forces would attack us. Regardless of what we do, we will be attacked. The only difference is by whom we will be attacked by."

* * *

_Archangel_ Hangar

Kira sat in cockpit of the Freedom as it stood on the _Archangel_'s port catapult as he listened to the broadcast. On the starboard catapult, the Raven stood. Behind them, the Strike, the Talos II and the Guardian stood, all of them waiting for the order to launch. A part of Kira still found this whole situation a shock. Of all the places that he thought that could become a battlefield, Orb had to be at the bottom of the list. But then, so had Heliopolis

"_Hard to believe that a few months ago, we were just students living on Heliopolis. It seems more like a lifetime ago,_" commented Chris. "_Who could have guessed that we would have ended up caught in the middle of this whole thing._"

"_Instead of submitting, we will declare in one loud voice: NO! We will not submit to those that wish to use us to fight their enemies and their battles! We will not abandon our ideals! We will not attack another nation! Will not allow another nation to attack us! And will not get involved in the conflicts of other nations! These beliefs are what Orb was founded on! To abandon those beliefs is to abandon Orb itself!_"

Kira nodded. "Yeah. I never thought I'd ever pilot a mobile suit. And yet here I am, sitting in the cockpit of a mobile suit."

"_The most powerful mobile suit out there,_" added Chris. "_I sure don't envy you. You get shot down and it will pretty much take us all out. So be careful out there. I don't want to end up dead or glowing in the dark._"

Kira chuckled at the comment. "Don't worry," he said. "I'll be careful out there."

"_The Alliance thinks that they can bully a small nation like us into submission. And that even if we stand up to them, they can crush us beneath their boot heel. They do not know what they have awakened. We shall show them Orb's strength! We shall make them pay dearly for every inch of Orb soil! So much so, that when this battle is over, they won't forget what we did here! They won't forget the mauling they received from the small, neutral nation of Orb!"_

"_Alright everyone. This is going to be a long and difficult battle to say the least. Even for us._" Victor sighed before adding. "_What I wouldn't give to have my old team here._"

"Yeah. I wouldn't mind having their help out here either," said Mu. "Though I have to wonder if they'd really make a difference here."

"_Don't underestimate them. There presence on the field would have scared many of the Earth Forces pilots without having to fire off a shot,_" replied Victor. "_And a panicking enemy is a careless enemy._"

"_It just means more work for us,_" said Liz, joining the conservation.

Victor nodded. "_That's true. As I said before, this will be long and difficult. So be careful and stay focused. And good luck out there._"

"In the long run, even the Alaric Team wouldn't be able to make that much of a difference," said Kira, somewhat grimly. "To be honest, I'd give a lot for a few more machines like the Freedom."

"_Well, in this situation, I can't really say otherwise,_" admitted Victor.

* * *

Orb Military Headquarters

"I will not lie to you. We are outnumbered a hundred-to-one. Each of you will have to be an army in your own right if Orb is to survive. But never forget that you are all fighting for the safety and future of your families, and the future of Orb itself! May the blessing of Haumea be upon us all as we prepare to wage this terrible battle. For the future of Orb, it's ideals and its people!"

Cheers and shouts echoing his own words filled the comm. channel. Samuel closed his eyes as he closed the comm. line. A lot of people were going to die today. Hopefully, only the soldiers of Orb and the Alliance. But there were still many, many civilians fleeing Orb. And as long as they were still on Onogoro, they were in danger. Samuel opened his eyes, his face locked in grim determination.

* * *

Shores of Onogoro

Missiles descended towards Onogoro en masse. Orb linear tanks, AA guns and M1 Astrays fired on the missiles, intercepting many of them. But many more still hit, destroying tanks and gun emplacements as the mobile suits dodged backwards.

The hangars containing the _Archangel_, _Anastasia_ and other JOSH-A survivors opened, and the six ships launched to aid the battle. Sitting on the decks of the former Alliance vessels were crouching M1 Astrays, which quickly came to life as the _Anastasia_ opened its hold to release more M1s from within the carrier. More missiles rained down, and the new arrivals opened fire on the missiles as well. Even still, a large number of missiles impacted on civilian residences near the shore, though they'd thankfully already been evacuated.

Several Alliance carriers approached the shores, opening their holds to release Strike Daggers.

"Juri, the Earth Forces are sending in their mobile suits," reported Mayura. Juri gasped, and Asagi gulped slightly in fear.

As orders were given to reinforce the Izanagi shoreline, carriers appeared overhead, dropping mobile suits as the _Archangel_ began to launch its machines.

* * *

The _Powell_

The seven Biological CPUs entered the hanger where their mobile suits and the doctors with their drugs were waiting. Each took their vial and downed the contents. Each then put on their helmets and climbed into the cockpit of their machines.

At that moment, Azrael's face appeared on their main screens. "_Say boys…_"

Orga Sabnak looked up at his display screen. "What?"

"_It's extremely important that you don't damage Morgenroete or the Mass Driver,_" Azrael ordered. "_Do you understand?_"

"But we can destroy anything else, right?" asked Shani Andras.

Azrael simply nodded.

"Oh yeah!" said a pleased Clotho Buer.

"Time for some fun," added Louisa Kohl, a sadistic grin on her features as she gripped the Twilight's controls in anticipation.

"This is something I've wanted to do for a long, long time," said Kazuo, grinning.

"Why don't you guys shut up," said Roslyn Nawda as the _Powell_'s mobile suit hold doors opened. The Forbidden and the Twilight launched first, heading for Onogoro. The Raider followed, transforming into its mobile armor mode. Then the Calamity launched, quickly landing on the Raider, using it as a flight platform. The four were soon followed by the Deliverance, the Supremacy and the Relentless. The seven machines streaked towards Onogoro, the Deliverance hovering along the water at high-speed.

* * *

Onogoro

Juri leapt back, drawing her Astrays beam saber, but the Strike Dagger she was facing slammed into her, knocking her back, then aimed its rifle at her. At that instant, a beam tore into its arm.

"_Back off!_" said Mayura, rushing forward to protect Juri.

"Mayura!" called Asagi as she dueled a Strike Dagger with beam sabers. Suddenly, a fast-moving shadow passed by, drawing the attention of all pilots upwards as the Freedom flew overhead.

Suddenly, the Freedom's weapons snapped into place and Kira opened fire, destroying heads, limbs, and weapons of Strike Daggers en masse with precision accuracy. Several Alliance pilots cried out in fear as the Freedom released its shield and descended towards them, grabbing both its beam sabers.

The Freedom landed on the ground, instantly slashing off the right arms and legs of two Strike Daggers as its shield landed twenty meters ahead of it. Faster than most people could blink, the Freedom flew forward, replacing its beam sabers on its hips, snatched its shield, and surged out towards the battling fleets. The Alliance pilots gaped at the unbelievable display of power, while the Astray pilots gasped in shock.

"Awesome…" said Asagi.

A beam suddenly pierced another Strike Dagger, destroying it, and the true Strike landed on the ground.

"Wow, this is pretty cool, though I'm still kinda new at this," said Mu. "Yo, stay alert girls, there are gonna be more any minute now."

Flying through the air, Chris and Liz opened fire on the Earth Forces mobile suits, the two experienced Gundam pilots crushing the weaker machines with pilots of inferior MS-combat experience like they were nothing. But every kill still consumed power.

Then, the tide of the battle suddenly turned.

Unlike the Strike Daggers, which were maneuvering around the battling naval fleets, the seven Biological CPUs tore right through them. The Forbidden's scythe sliced through the bridge of an Orb battleship. The Deliverance's beam gatling guns tore through another Orb warship, igniting its forward ammo magazine. The vessel exploded in a great ball of fire. The Twilight fired both Drache Schild into the bridges of two more Orb warships, activating the built-in flamethrowers and destroying them. The Supremacy landed on one ship and made two quick diagonal cuts with its Schwert Gewehr, slicing the ship in four, while the Relentless fired its shoulder-mounted anti-ship vulcans at another ship.

"Well what do we have here?" said Orga, aiming at the _Archangel_.

"Incoming mobile suits!" shouted Chandra.

"Evade them!" ordered Murrue.

Orga fired the Calamity's Schlag cannons and Todesblock bazooka at the white battleship. But the _Archangel_ managed to move out of the beams' path.

"Figures. You missed," said Clotho, flipping the Raider. "Now get off so I can show you how it's done!"

The Calamity fell off the Raider, landing on and crushing the bridge of an Orb battleship. Clotho transformed the Raider back into its mobile suit mode and landed in front of the _Archangel_'s bridge. He raised the Raider's Mjolnir hammer, to drive it into the bridge. But just before it could hit it, the Freedom slammed into the Raider, knocking it into the sea.

At that very moment, the Forbidden appeared, firing its railguns at the Freedom. Kira evaded the shots and fired back with his beam rifle. But to his surprise, the Forbidden's Geschmeidig Panzer pack dropped down. The beam harmlessly bounced off the shields. Shani snickered as the pack returned to its original position and he lunged forward, swinging his scythe at the Freedom. Kira managed to pulled the Freedom back just in time, the scythe missing him by a few feet.

_These guys aren't ordinary pilots,_ thought Kira as he dodged more wild scythe swings. _Definitely aces, and in new machines. I've got to be careful with them._

Kira fired his Baleana cannons on the Forbidden. But again, Shani managed to deflect them with his Geschmeidig Panzer system and fired off his plasma induction cannon. Kira banked to the right, only to see the beam curve towards him. Kira cursed as the Freedom shot up, avoiding the beam.

_A curving beam. An energy deflection system. And this is just one of those seven new machines!_ he thought. _If the other six are anything like this one, then we're all trouble._

* * *

The Raven's railgun fired, tearing through a transport plane, destroying it and its complement of Strike Daggers.

"Another plane down," said Chris grimly as the plane's fiery remains fell to Earth.

For every plane he or the Orb defenders shot down, another managed to drop at least half of its payload, which meant dozens of Strike Daggers were already on Orb soil. And more were arriving every minute.

He glanced at the Freedom. Kira appeared to be having problems with a strange green mobile suit armed with a scythe. It seemed that every time Kira fired at the green mobile suit, it either dodged the shot or deflected the beams somehow with its shields. He better help him out. Chris sped off towards the Freedom, only to come face-to-face with a mobile suit emerging from the sea, that was virtually identical to his. Both the Raven and the Raider stopped dead in their tracks.

"What the hell…" said both Chris and Clotho simultaneously as they stared at the other's mobile suit.

"_Damn copycat!_" yelled Clotho a moment later. "_Who the hell do you think are, copying my mobile suit!_"

"Copycat! I'm not the copy! I'm the original!" Chris shouted back. "You're the copy!"

"_No I'm not!_"

"Yes you are!"

Clotho growled. "_Then I'll just kill you and become the original!_" he shouted, firing his railguns.

The Raven dodged the Raider's shots and fired back. "That's not how it works! I'll always be the original and you'll always be the copy!" shouted Chris at the Raven's copy.

The two mobile suits continued their deadly dance, neither able to gain the upper hand over the other.

"_Just die already!_" shouted a frustrated Clotho, firing off the Zorn cannon.

Chris narrowly managed to avoid the beam. "Whoa…" said Chris. "A beam cannon in the mobile suit's head. That's new. Clearly, you have more weapons than I do. But which one of us is faster, I wonder?"

Chris transformed the Raven and blew past the Raider. "Come on! Catch me if you can copycat!"

"_You bastard! You're terminated!_" growled Clotho as the Radier transformed and chased after the Raven.

Chris smirked as they raced across the skies above Onogoro. The Raider fired off its machineguns and Zorn cannon at him, but Chris was able to dodge the shots.

_That's it. Use up all your power trying to chase after me. Your weapons will be useless if you don't have any power._

* * *

"Come on! Lets show these fools the might of the Alliance!" shouted a Strike Dagger lieutenant, leading six other Daggers towards a pair of Astrays and a group of tanks.

However, they didn't get very far when a beam pierced the cockpit of the lieutenant's Dagger. The remaining Daggers abruptly stopped, only to be gunned down by more well aimed shots. The first four were all hit in the chest and exploded. The fifth lost its head from one beam and was destroyed by the second. A shot narrowly missed the final machine. The second shot severed its left ankle and it fell to the ground.

Standing on a ridge, over a mile away, the Talos lowered its beam sniper rifle. "Damn," said Victor. "Even if I'm not John, I shouldn't have needed more then seven shots. Guess I still haven't completely adjusted to this new rifle." That said, Victor took aim at more distant targets.

* * *

Seven Astrays stood in the path of the Relentless. Seven Astrays fell over the course of ten seconds.

"Come on, you're pathetic," said Kazuo. "I wanna fight someone like that CGUE bastard at Panama!" Around the Relentless, Strike Daggers advanced when suddenly, beams rained down on them, destroying them, Kazuo narrowly evading. He looked up and saw a fighter.

Liz's grip on the Guardian's controls tightened and her face twisted into a mask of pure, unadulterated rage at the sight of the Dauntless-copy suit.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" screamed Liz, drawing the attention of those who heard her over the radio and could see what was going on. All who caught sight of the Relentless and remembered the Dauntless were filled with a similar, cold fury. The Guardian flew straight at the ground, evading fire from the Relentless's anti-ship vulcans, then pulled up ninety degrees, flying straight at the monstrous mobile suit. As Kazuo prepared to slice the approaching mobile armor in two, Liz suddenly transformed to mobile suit mode, knocked the sword aside with her shield, and tackled the Relentless into the air. She punched the Guardian's right fist into the torso of the mobile suit and repeatedly fired her grenades point-blank before pushing off and delivering a kick straight to the same spot she'd been firing on, sending the Relentless, its pilot absolutely shocked by what had just happened, descending towards the ocean.

However, Kazuo was quick to regain control. "You… you bitch!" shouted Kazuo, remembering his lessons about the predecessors. "You'll pay for that!" Kazuo switched the Exia Kai to rifle mode and started firing with it, the anti-ship vulcans, gun-launchers, and the Armfeuer on the left wrist. Liz shifted to mobile armor mode and deftly evaded.

"I won't allow that disgrace to live!" shouted Liz.

* * *

Orb Military Headquarters

Serenity's eyes held a cold fury that frightened all in the control room, even Misuumi, despite being nearly as furious at the sight of the Relentless.

"Contact Shizuka," snarled Serenity. "Tell her its time to deploy _our_ aces."

* * *

A squad of Orb Astrays fired on the Earth Alliance's Strike Daggers as they advanced into the city. The Daggers were numerous, but somehow, the defenders managed to push them back, barely. However, things were about to change. A solid black mobile suit suddenly landed before the Orb squadron.

"_Captain! What is that?!_" asked a nervous Orb pilot.

"Some new Earth Forces machine," answered the Captain. "Destroy it!"

"For the Preservation of our Blue and Pure World!" howled Christian, firing his beam gatling guns at the Astrays.

The barrage mercilessly tore through many of the Astrays before they managed any kind of defense. The surviving Astrays backed away, moving behind buildings and trying to regroup from the assault. But Christian didn't give them a chance to. The Deliverance's chest plate opened, as did its missile pods and small cannons emerged from the wrists. The remaining Astrays in the area fell quickly fell before this second barrage. Beams tore through buildings and the mobile suits standing behind them. A cluster of missiles impacted a trio of Astrays standing together, destroying them.

Suddenly, the Deliverance jumped to the left, barely dodging a beam. Christian growled as the Talos's active cloak deactivated to reveal the Strike-like mobile suit.

"Not bad," commented Victor. "But that's not going to be good enough."

Christian roared, firing all of his gatling guns at the Talos. Victor pulled the Talos into the air, evading the Deliverance's shots and fired his rifle. The beam hit the Deliverance's left twin gatling gun. Christian threw the weapon away just before it exploded.

"Damn you!" he shouted, firing back at the Talos with his remaining gatling guns and the wrist-mounted beam gun

Victor sidestepped behind a row of buildings. The guns tore through the building… only to hit nothing. The Deliverance's head turned back and forth, searching for the Talos. Christian growled in frustration.

"Damn it!" he growled. "Where are you?! Come and fight me coward!"

There was no response.

"Come on! Fight!"

Again, nothing.

"That's it! I'm gonna level this whole damn city!"

At that moment, the Talos emerged from some buildings on the Deliverance's left, its rifle gone and in its place, a beam saber. Victor raised the saber up as he raced towards the mobile. But before it could strike, the Deliverance shot the barrel in its left wrist out, grabbing hold of it and releasing a beam saber, intercepting Victor's own blade. Both pilots suddenly raised their other weapons. The Talos's beam pistol was inches from the Deliverance's chest, while the twin barrels of the Deliverance's Fenrir gatling gun were inches from the Talos's. The two mobile suits stayed there for a moment, locked in that position. Neither seemed willing to risk moving.

"I must admit," said Victor. "You're much better then most pilots, even if you are as wild as they get."

"_I should be,_" said Christian, sounding momentarily calm. "_That's what made me the Hero of the Bloody Valentine._"

Victor's eyes widened in surprise. The Hero of the Bloody Valentine? Suddenly, Victor's eyes narrowed in rage.

"You son of a bitch!" he said. "You're dead!"

"_No, you are!_" Christian shouted back.

The Deliverance pushed the Talos back before Victor could pull the trigger and swung its saber down. However, the Talos was a faster machine than its opponent, and not for nothing had Victor been an elite of the Alaric Team. He quickly sidestepped the blow.

"Too slow!" he said, swinging his own saber down.

But the Deliverance managed to raise its saber back up, blocking the blow. Christian then followed up with a kick to the Talos's chest, sending the mobile suit stumbling back. The mass-murderer raised the Deliverance's Fenrir galting gun, aiming directly at the Talos's cockpit…

But just before Christian could squeeze the trigger, a beam lanced through the air, piercing the Fenrir. The Deliverance dropped it as both machines leapt backwards and the twin gatling exploded. Turning to the source, Christian was surprised to see a new machine, similar to the M1 Astray, tackling his machine. The new mobile suit then aimed its rifle at the Deliverance's cockpit, but Christian opened the four Reaver gatlings in his machine's chest and opened fire, forcing the newcomer back. The machine hid from the Deliverance behind several buildings along with the Talos.

Victor was surprised. Who was in the Athena?

"Pilot of the MX1, identify yourself," ordered Victor over the radio.

"_Mr. Cain? Is that you in that Strike-machine?_"

Victor blinked in surprise.

"Tolle?!" he exclaimed.

"_Yeah, it's me,_" said Tolle. "_I woke up a little while ago in the hospital and one of the Taiyonoha servants that was there led me to Morgenroete to get this new machine. Didn't really explain what's going on, though._"

"There will time for that later," said Victor. "Stick close to me. If we find Mu, switch to him and stay close to him, a wingman isn't suited to someone like me."

"_Gotcha Mr. Cain,_" said Tolle. "_Um, what do we do about this guy?_"

As if in answer to the question, a barrage of missiles suddenly obliterated the buildings the two were hiding behind.

Both beam sabers now held in hand, the Deliverance looked absolutely furious as it approached the pair, but a sudden barrage of bullets hit the Deliverance in the side, and Christian turned to the new attacker.

The Raven descended towards the Deliverance, Chris continuing to fire on the Resolute-successor even as he dodged fire from the Raider, Clotho still chasing him furiously. Growling angrily, Christian turned and fired the Reavers on the airborne pests. Both mobile armors managed to swerve and transform back to mobile suit mode, avoiding the incoming fire.

"_What the hell?! You almost hit me, you nutjob!_" shouted Clotho.

"Get out of my way or I'll kill you too! Not like _you're_ much of a loss!" roared Christian back, still firing on the Raven and the Raider.

Clotho growled and fired his railgun at the Deliverance. "_Eat this you crazy bastard!_"

The Deliverance jumped back, evading the rounds and continuing its barrage.

"Damn. These guys are nuts!" said Chris as he watched the two new Earth Forces mobile suits after breaking away from their personal firefight.

"_Gee, y'think?_" came Tolle's voice. Chris turned his attention to the Athena in shock.

"Tolle? That you?"

"_It's me,_" said Tolle. "_I have no clue what's going on, but we can catch up later. Is Mir okay?_"

"_She's fine,_" said Victor as the Raider and Deliverance stopped their attacks and both turned towards the Raven.

"Oh crap," whispered Chris just before the two fired on him.

Chris desperately pulled the Raven upwards as fast as he could, just barely evading their attacks. "Guess even these lunatics have enough sense to focus on their actual enemies and not each other," he said.

The Deliverance's missile pods opened and fired a barrage of missiles at the Raven. Chris fired his railgun and Igelstellungs, destroying the missiles. The Raider's hammer came flying at the Raven. Chris pulled up the shield part of his railgun. The hammer slammed into the shield, pushing the Raven back, and the shield was heavily dented under the force of the blow. Teeth grit, Chris reached out and grabbed the hammer's cable and pulled, reenacting his move from what seemed like ages ago against the Surge. Clotho was caught off guard and the Raider was pulled forward.

"_Bastard! Annihilate!_" roared Clotho, firing his railgun at the Raven.

Needing to dodge the shots, Chris let go of the cable, allowing the Raider to reclaim his weapon. "Not bad copycat. But you're still just a cheap imitation," he said, heading higher into the air.

"_Come back here!_" shouted Clotho, chasing after the Raven.

Christian turned back to where the Talos and Athena had been standing, only to find them missing.

"Where are you, cowards?! Don't tell me you've run away!" he shouted, searching for the missing machines.

"_If you want to fight me, you'll have to find me first,_" came the voice of that first pilot.

Christian let out a frustrated roar. "Forget you cowards! If you won't fight me face-to-face, then you can go to hell!"

He took off, heading after the Raven and the Raider. If those cowards weren't going to fight him, then he'd find some brave enough to actually fight him.

Victor watched as the Deliverance flew off. Normally, he wasn't the kind to hide from a fight. But he had underestimated the Deliverance. He thought that he could have taken it out quickly and returned to his role as sniper. But both the mobile suit and its pilot were too formidable for a quick victory, and only Tolle's unexpected arrival had saved him. And at the moment, the Orb defenders needed his sniper abilities to help hold back the tide. Hopefully, Kira and Chris would be able to deal with those machines.

"Tolle, until we find the Strike, stick with me and guard my flank," said Victor.

"_Will do._"

* * *

_Archangel_

"Incoming missiles!" shouted Sai as wing of Spearhead fighters fired off their missiles.

"Evade!" ordered Murrue.

"There's no time!"

Suddenly, yellow beams tore through the path of the missiles, destroying them. Everyone on the _Archangel_'s bridge looked out the side windows and gasped. Standing nearby them was the Buster.

"Archangel_, quickly, fall back!_" said Dearka, firing on the fighters.

* * *

"Go! Go! Go!" shouted an Earth Alliance Lieutenant, leading several squads of Strike Daggers towards a group of Orb Astrays and tanks.

Just after they passed a pair of damaged buildings, though, flames suddenly exploded from nowhere, expanding in a massive fireball that consumed a dozen Strike Daggers all at once. The other Strike Daggers backed away as a large form materialized in the center of that inferno, and as the flames began to die down somewhat, a demon stepped forth.

The mobile suit was like none they'd ever seen before, and many backed away, absolute terror gripping their hearts at the sight before them.

The machine before them was solid black, and a few who'd read the reports recognized that it had once been the GAT-X207 Blitz. But it was obviously no longer that machine. The mobile suit before them seemed like it had seen ten thousand battles, with very clear scratches and battle scars covering it nearly head to foot, the scarring a gray-white against the pitch black mobile suit's body, a pair of giant black wings standing up straight from its back, similar scarring and even what seemed to be holes filling the devil-like wings.

The worst of it was the head, though. The left side looked in pristine condition, while the right side was jagged and scarred-looking, with the jaw appearing fractured and a large gash running through the right eye, which seemed as though the camera was exposed. Suddenly, the eyes flashed to life, the left eye appearing its original blue while the right eye glowed an angry, demonic red. It was perhaps a tribute to the courage of the Earth Forces pilots that none of them wet themselves with this demonic machine standing before them, looking for all the world like the grim reaper itself come to claim their souls, armed with a large, twin beam scythe.

Suddenly, with incredible speed, the reincarnated Hellfire Blitz rushed forward and swung its scythe, cutting apart three machines that were too slow in just that one swing. The Daggers in the back, almost fearfully, raised their rifles and fired on the scythe-wielder. The Hellfire Blitz's wings folded down over the torso, and the beams were harmlessly dissipated against the wings, the particles clearly spreading out across the entire torso before fading entirely.

"What?! Impossible!" shouted one pilot.

Then, a stinger-like object flipped from the black machine's back, and the two beam cannons opened up, quickly destroying several more Strike Daggers. When the wings flipped back up, the beam cannons continued to fire as the Blitz, now armed with a pair of curved anti-armor swords cut apart the remaining enemies.

Looking around at the carnage, Nicol couldn't help but whistle as the Orb defenders gaped at the display of power.

"She was serious about that metaphor of the Blitz returning from hell…" said Nicol quietly as more Strike Daggers descended from above. Nicol aimed the Shi no Hashi beam cannons and opened fire on them, but many still made it to the ground.

At that instant, the Surge appeared on the left side of newly arrived Daggers, heading towards them at great speed, both of its katanas drawn. Some of the Dagger pilots saw the Surge coming and turned to face it, but they weren't fast enough. The Surge sliced through many of the mobile suits as it passed through the group. Those that he missed were so stunned by this sudden attack that they stopped firing, allowing Nicol to finish them off.

"Damn… I should have gotten all of those. Someone's been screwing around with my Surge. It doesn't handle right," complained Saul as he adjusted the Surge's OS.

"_I don't know,_" said Nicol. "_The Hellfire Blitz handles just like the Blitz. Are you sure that you aren't just a little rusty?_"

"Hey!" said Saul. "There's no way my skills have dulled!"

"_That's not what it looks like to me._"

The two mobile suits suddenly dove for cover as a barrage was fired in their direction. "Come on boys! Let's take those punks down!" said an Earth Forces pilot as more Daggers advanced on the pair.

Suddenly, railgun rounds, small missiles, beams and grenades rained down on the mobile suits as the Duel leapt off a building. Upon landing, Yzak drew a beam saber and cut down the few surviving Daggers with the ease with which he'd have dealt with mobile armors.

"Quit playing around you two, we've got a battle to win!" said Yzak.

* * *

"Uh, Kira?" said Mu, almost nervously as he faced the mobile suit opposite him. "I think they liked the Strike enough to overlook the fact that a Coordinator piloted it…"

Indeed, the machine before him looked like an exact duplicate of his own, save for one, major difference: it had the wings of the Dauntless and seemed to equip the weapons of both the Launcher and Sword Strikers at the same time.

With a grin as she faced down her machine's predecessor, Roslyn drew a beam saber and charged forward, crashing the blade down on the Aile Strike's shield.

"My, my, so somebody _is_ still using that outdated piece of junk," she said. Mu grit his teeth as he swung back with his own saber, but the Supremacy leapt backwards and fired its anti-ship vulcan on the Strike.

"Damn it!" shouted Mu, grabbing his rifle and returning fire as Roslyn grabbed the Agni, took aim, and fired the hyper impulse cannon on the Strike. Mu blocked the shot with his shield, but was blasted to the ground by the force of the beam.

Suddenly, a pair of beams descended on the Supremacy, but Roslyn expertly dodged them. The Athena landed near the Strike, firing its beam rifle as, in the distance, the Talos continued to snipe the Supremacy.

"_Commander!_" cried Asagi as she, Juri and Mayura leapt up from the shoreline and opened fire on the Supremacy.

Teeth grit in annoyance, Roslyn decided this wasn't worth it, and took to the air.

It seemed there was something really worthy up there, including that machine that had kept Kazuo preoccupied for so long…

"_Are you okay, Commander La Flaga?_" came Tolle's voice, surprising Mu and the _Archangel_ bridge crew.

"_Tolle? Is that you in the Athena?_" asked Mir.

"_Yeah,_" said Tolle. "_Just woke up a little while ago. We can talk when this is over._"

Despite the cheer that should have accompanied Tolle waking up, the mood remained grim, and it was clear that Tolle hadn't come back to them completely—there was no doubt that his experience had changed him, for better or worse.

* * *

As Kira continued to fight that mobile suit with the shields, switching over to his railguns since the shields only deflected beam fire, he thought he might've gained the advantage over the X200-series machine.

However, something new came flying towards him, and Kira barely dodged aside as flames emerged from the Drache Schild of the Twilight. Grinning sadistically, Louisa activated both ends of the Twilight's beam staff as she drew the Schild back in, and charged at the Freedom.

Kira's eyes widened, as the entire battlefield became broken up behind the Twilight. He fired his rifle, but the Twilight spun around, blazed in the opposite direction, and twisted through the air. Meanwhile, as the beam hit the distorted space, it scattered and broke off in several directions, now too weak to pose any threat to a fully armored mobile suit.

"Damn," cursed Kira. The Twilight suddenly blasted a barrage of missiles at him, along with firing a pair of railguns as the Forbidden did the same. Kira barely dodged most of the projectiles, gunned down a few more with his Picus CIWS, and ended up being hit by two of the missiles.

Then, four of the other new machines returned, battling the Raven and Guardian the whole way.

* * *

Orga effortlessly destroyed a group of Atrays with the Calamity's overwhelmingly powerful weapons. They were all pathetically ease to destroy. Orga looked up. All six of his teammates were up in the air, fighting that funny white mobile suit, the violet one and that Raider copy. And, amazingly, they seemed to be holding their own against his teammates. That just wouldn't do. The Calamity jumped into the air, its thrusters pushing it towards the group.

"Mind if I play as well?" he said, firing into the heart of the group.

All nine mobile suits scattered, trying to avoid the incoming fire. "_Orga! You bastard!_" shouted an irate Clotho. "_What the hell do you think you're doing?!_"

Orga laughed. "Making sure you guys don't hog all the fun!"

* * *

Unbeknownst to fighters at large, a tragedy was about to happen. A family of four ran through the woods, trying to reach the boats that were evacuating the civilians of Orb. Shinn Asuka looked up at the mobile suits fighting above them. The white one, purple one and dark blue one were struggling against the other seven. Shinn really wasn't sure which ones were fighting for Orb and which ones were with the Earth Forces.

Suddenly, the dark blue one and the black one, both of which had transformed into a bird-like mode, raced dangerously close overhead, forcing Shinn and his family to brace themselves as a strong gust of wind slammed into them.

"My phone!" cried Mayu out as her phone flew out of her pocket and fell down the side of the hit.

Mayu headed for her cell phone, but their mother grabbed her arm. "Forget about it. We have to go Mayu."

"But my phone!"

"Don't worry. I'll get it," said Shinn, running down the side of the hill.

The Deliverance landed on the ground, targeting the Freedom. The Freedom entered HiMAT mode as it aimed at the Deliverance.

Out of the corner of his eye, Christian spotted the family of three, and, grinning sadistically, shifted his machine's leg slightly to aim one missile at them.

Kira fired an instant before Christian, the hyper-velocity rounds of the Xiphias railguns slamming into the Deliverance and knocking it slightly off-target, most of its missiles going wide.

Shinn had found Mayu's phone and picked it up when he felt the massive wave of heat and air slam into him, tossing him down the rest of the hill. By some small miracle, the only injuries he sustained were some scrapes and bruises, and having the wind knocked out of him. He slowly got to his feet, still clutching Mayu's cell phone.

"Mom! Dad! Where are you?! Mayu!" Shinn called out as he started to search for his family. "Mom! Dad! Ma–"

It didn't take him long to find them. The path they had been running across had collapsed. And lying there, among the rubble, was Mayu. She was lying on her back, maybe eight feet from him. Mayu looked like she could have been sleeping, if it wasn't for the fact that there were a number of cuts and bruises on her skin. Including a nasty cut on her forehead. Lying a few feet from Mayu was his mother, lying in a pool of her own blood and her body twisted at an unnatural angle. Then he noticed his father, crushed between a boulder and a fallen tree.

Shinn screamed to the heavens as he fell to his knees, his cry a mixture of pain and sorrow. Tears began to pour down his face. Why had they been killed? They weren't soldiers. They didn't deserve to be murdered like that! So then why? Why had this happened?

Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed him. "Come on! There's nothing you can do for them," said a voice as the hands lifted Shinn to his feet.

The voice belonged to an Orb officer. But Shinn didn't care. Nothing mattered anymore. He just wanted to lay down and die alongside his family. Seeing the state he was in, the Orb officer shook him, trying to shake him out of his stupor.

"Your family would have wanted you to survive. Come on. The boat will be leaving soon," he said, half dragging Shinn to the boat.

As they left for the boat, neither of them noticed as Mayu's hand twitched.

* * *

All across Orb, the battles raged. The Buster and the _Archangel_ let loose a furious barrage on the advancing invaders, cutting down dozens of mobile suits and fighters. The Hellfire Blitz, Duel and Surge tore apart Strike Daggers in the close-quarters of the city blocks, using superior abilities, skills, MS-battle experience and technology to overwhelm the Daggers. Mu, in the Strike, was leading a squad of Astrays with the Athena at his side. Together, they were managing to push back the advancing Daggers. Elsewhere, Victor had resumed his role as sniper, gunning down Alliance forces all over Onogoro, and even hitting some of their closer naval vessels. The Eurasians, showing the skills that had allowed to survive many battles with ZAFT's mobile suits in nothing more than mere fighters covered each others back thoroughly, barely a few meters of each suit ever being exposed to enemy fire as they expertly bested their opponents.

But even with the aid of the _Archangel_, Eurasians and Gundams, the Orb forces were only just barely holding back the tide of the Earth Alliance Forces. For every Strike Dagger that fell, there were two more to take its place, while for each Astray lost, the strength of the defenders was hurt badly. And even though the Earth Forces second generation Gundams were being distracted by the Freedom, Guardian and Raven, the sheer number of Daggers were enough to cut through parts of the defenders lines.

A squad of Strike Daggers gunned down a group of defending Astrays and tanks. A wing of bombers dropped their deadly payload upon a cluster of artillery guns. An Orb _Aegis_-class battleship was hit by a pair of _Fraser_-class vessels and started sinking.

Samuel watched these scenes and many more like them play out with an emotionless expression on his face, unlike Cagalli, who was wearing her emotions quite clearly. There was no point in getting emotional or dwelling on all the deaths at the moment. It would only serve to distract him. He had learned long ago to seal up his emotions during battle.

The battle was not going well for Orb. Or at least, not as well as he had hoped. He had miscalculated. Not on the number of the invaders. He had actually predicted a much larger force than this. No. It was those seven new mobile suits they had developed. He knew they would have built successors to the G-Units from Heliopolis. But he hadn't expected them to be so formidable. While Kira, Chris and Liz were distracting them, limiting the damage they could do, it was at the same time, robbing them of their strongest weapon, the Freedom. He had predicted that with the Freedom fighting in the frontline, it would have bought them hours, possibly an extra day, before Orb was overrun. But now… now things weren't looking so good for them.

He glanced over at the two Orb nobles, who were both watching the screen of the Guardian fighting that Dauntless-imitation with their full attention.

* * *

In the sky over the ocean, a trio of mobile suits closed in on the Battle of Onogoro. The Justice rode atop its Fatum-00, with the Faith and Conviction in the air on either side of it.

Images came up in their cockpits.

"The Freedom…" said Athrun. "Kira!"

"The Duel, Surge, Buster and a Blitz-type are down there as well," said Erik. "But it looks like the Freedom, Raven and Guardian are in trouble."

The Faith pilot gripped her controls, anger crossing her features as she focused in on one of the battles. Spreading the Faith's wings, she suddenly surged towards the battle.

"Hey, wait up!" said Erik as he and Athrun took off in pursuit.

* * *

In the skies above Orb, things were not going well for the three defenders. The new mobile suits of the Alliance were all technologically superior to everything they had faced before. Added to this, the pilots themselves were as skilled as anyone they had fought before. Kira was managing to hold his own against them, using a combination of his skill as pilot and the power of the Freedom, while Liz was doing quite well going one-on-one with the Dauntless-imitation. But Chris found himself relying more on his skill as a pilot than the abilities of his aging Raven. Even with the upgrades the Raven received from Morgenroete, it was becoming clear to Chris that his trusted mobile suit was becoming old and obsolete in the face of these newer and more powerful Gundams.

The machines had also switched groups. Initially, the Strike-successor had been aiding the Dauntless-imitation against Liz, but had unexpectedly backed off. Maybe the pilot wanted Liz to himself? After that, the Supremacy had, perhaps somewhat ironically, gone to face the Freedom. The Forbidden had, surprisingly, switched and started chasing after Chris, possibly because the Deliverance had returned to the ground.

The Deliverance fired off another missile barrage—Chris wondered just how many that thing was carrying—at Chris. The Raven flew up, avoiding the projectiles.

"Come on Raven," he said, firing at the Deliverance. "Let's show them that you're not obsolete yet!"

One of his shots flew straight into the opened missile launcher on the right shoulder, causing the remaining missiles within to detonate, shaking the Deliverance and knocking it to the ground. Needless to say, Christian was less than happy to see that happen. The Deliverance leapt into the air, reigniting its beam sabers.

"I'll tear you apart!" shouted Christian. "RAAAAAGH!"

Chris swore as he pulled back, trying to avoid the Deliverance's charge as he drew his own sabers. Christian swung his sabers down as Chris crossed his in front of him, blocking the attack. Suddenly, the Deliverance's leg missile launchers opened up, firing directly at the Raven and sending the midnight-blue mobile tumbling through the air.

Elsewhere, the Relentless fired its gun-launchers at the Guardian, scoring a direct hit, and the violet mobile suit likewise was sent tumbling through the air.

The Twilight, in a display of speed superior to its 'brother' units, tackled into the Freedom, throwing it directly into line for the Supremacy's Agni cannon. As the Raven and Guardian righted themselves, the Raider and Relentless descended on them.

"Game over," said Clotho, smirking.

The Raider's Zorn cannon fired at the Raven, the Relentless's Exia Kai sword stabbed at the Guardian's cockpit, and the Supremacy's Agni fired at the Freedom.

But the battle was far from over.

A red Gundam suddenly descended in front of the Freedom, blocking the Agni blast with its shield, then returning fire with its beam rifle, the Supremacy barely dodging.

A black and white Gundam appeared in front of the Raven, blocking the Zorn shot with its own shield, and then spinning and firing a massive hand-held cannon on the Forbidden, knocking the machine out of the sky, practically ignoring its shields.

A silver-white Gundam with a black torso like the Freedom's flew into the five meter gap between the Guardian and the tip of the Exia Kai, grabbing the Relentless's wrist and forcing the sword to the side, then snapping a pair of hip-mounted railguns into place and firing repeatedly on the Relentless, sending it tumbling away.

The battle between the mobile suits stopped as everyone stared at the newcomers, unsure of what to make of them. There was a unique, majestic presence to them, the same presence held by the Freedom.

In one of the new Gundams, the loosened bandages fell from the pilot's right eye to reveal an emerald green orb, shining with angelic rage.

* * *

**Author's Note: I'll say it once again: yes, I am evil. Now then, down here, I'm listing the Hellfire Blitz, because I didn't want spoilers at the top.**

_"She was serious about that metaphor of the Blitz returning from hell…"_ – Nicol Amalfi.**  
Hellfire Blitz Gundam:**  
Description:  
On April 15th, CE 71, the Blitz Gundam was destroyed in battle with the Strike Gundam outside of Orb, though the pilot, Nicol Amalfi, survived. Later, Orb recovered the remains of the Blitz, and under orders from the primary shareholder, the Taiyonoha Family, Morgenroete rebuilt the Blitz as the upgraded Hellfire Blitz Gundam. In addition to improved Phase Shift Armor and weapons, and an upgraded battery, the Hellfire Blitz features special wings that fold down like armor over the suit's torso, and serve not only as extra armor, but also more than triples the operating time of the Mirage Colloid and generates a beam dispersion field. When the Atlantic Federation moves to attack Orb, Serenity Taiyonoha offers to return the new Blitz to Nicol, in exchange for his assistance in the defense of Orb.

**Model Number:** MBF-03**  
Overall Height:** 18.81 meters**  
Weight:** 77.62 tons**  
Power Plant:** Ultracompact Energy Battery**  
Special Model Features:** Phase Shift Armor, Mirage Colloid Cloaking System, Mirage Colloid Beam Dispersion Armor,**  
Fixed Armament:** "Jigokuogama" Twin Beam Scythe, stored on back, hand-carried in use; "Akurei Tsume" Offensive Shield System: Beam Blade, Dual Phase-Shift Pincer Claw, mounted on left arm, can be fired out on a line; "Shi no Hashi" Twin Beam Cannon, mounted on backpack moveable turret; 2x DES-G07D+ Anti-Armor Sword, set includes long and short swords, stored on left hip armor, hand-carried in use; 12x "Jigokuhi" Flamethrower, 2 mounted in each wrist, 1 mounted in each foot, 1 mounted in each wing, 2 mounted in torso, 2 mounted on back;**  
Pilot:** Nicol Amalfi**  
Appearance: **Pretty much identical to the original Blitz, but with somewhat thicker armor, the shield switched to the left arm, and the "devil wings" of the Deathscythe Hell from Gundam Wing. Additionally, the armor appears scratched and damaged in some areas (it isn't, of course), the wings appear tattered, and the head is 'battle-scarred', with a gash in the head running through the right eye, which is red instead of blue, and the jaw appears fractured on the right side.**  
Colors: **Primarily solid black, like the original Blitz, with the 'damaged' areas being grey-white. Otherwise, identical to the Blitz.**  
Notes:** While I could've used Akatsuki Leader13's "Neo Blitz" for this, I decided to change it up a little, making it more like the Deathscythe Hell of Gundam Wing. The wings fold down over the body to provide a beam defense using Mirage Colloid particles, though unlike Forbidden, this simply disperses the beam and pushes it around the suit rather than outright deflecting it, and they also greatly extend the operating time of the Mirage Colloid by helping to reduce the rate of dissipation of the particles. I added in the Deathscythe's "buster shield" in the form of the Akurei Tsume, as well as the by-now familiar anti-armor swords of the Dauntless and Surge (although, really, they're taken from the N Dagger N). And as for the Jigokuogama… well, I just really wanted to make the Blitz more like the Deathscythe Hell (love that Gundam…). Of course, the flamethrowers became the source of the name, while the Altron-like stinger beam cannons were added to give it more ranged firepower.

**Aside from the Hellfire Blitz, I have nothing more to say today, other than to once again request reviews. I liked the outpouring I got last chapter...**

**Ja ne.  
**


	27. Phase 26: Return of the Angel

**Alright, I'm gonna keep this short and sweet: we've got a double update today. Why? Because originally, these two chapters were written as a single very long chapter.**

**And by "long", I mean over 20000 words and 40 pages long. So, I determined a good point to split it at, and separated them into two chapters, which I figure would be more comfortable than a single overlong chapter.**

**There's a lot of flashbacks at the beginning. You may want to skip over them, but I honestly recommend reading them, and one of them is an extension of the White Symphony scene from a few chapters back.  
**

**Oh, and I recommend people play the song Akatsuki no Kuruma when the flashbacks start. It just fits to me. For those who don't have it, here's a "link": **http:// www dot youtube dot com /watch?v=yFwfk8oxejY&feature=channel_page** You should all know what to do by now.  
**

**Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply, do I really need to repeat myself?  
**

* * *

Phase Twenty-Six: Return of the Angel

June 15th, C.E. 71

* * *

Onogoro Island

As the battle momentarily froze in shock at the unexpected arrival of three new Gundams of an obviously incredible level of power, the thoughts of the pilots were momentarily focused inward, reliving everything that had brought them to this point.

* * *

_Begin Flashbacks (and music)_

_On the machine Kira had landed on, he and a ZAFT red stared at each other in shock._

"_Athrun?" breathed Kira._

"_Kira?" asked Athrun, incredulous. Athrun's stance slackened, and Kira stood up, putting his eye level almost even with the blue-haired soldier across from him._

* * *

"_I'm fortunate… to have been your mother," said Naomi. "Makoto… I love yo…"_

* * *

"_Kira. Kira Yamato!" said Athrun over the radio. He heard a gasp of surprise. "So it is you, isn't it, Kira?"_

* * *

"_I'll get you for this," said Makoto as the vacuum tore the two away from each other, the mobile suits shaking, both pilots praying they would survive. "Do you hear me?! I'll make sure justice comes down on your head for what you've done here!"_

"_**I'll look forward to it!**__" was the last thing she heard before everything was obscured by the wreckage._

* * *

"_What?!" demanded Liz, backing off enough to stare at Makoto in anger. "What don't I understand?! And how can I understand it if you won't tell me?!" Makoto looked away shamefully, stung by Liz's words. "Well?!"_

"_Get out," said Makoto, tone hardening. Liz froze at the cold words. "Get out of here. Just leave me alone."_

* * *

"_**Athrun! Why the hell won't you just give up?**__" demanded Kira. "__**We were so close… it could've all been over for me and my friends!**__"_

"_Don't give me that Kira!" said Athrun. "You're a Coordinator! Why the hell are you fighting for the Earth Forces at all?!"_

"_**I told you already! My friends are on that ship!**__" said Kira. "__**And I won't let you hurt her either!**__"_

* * *

"_Congratulations, __**Lieutenant**__ Arata," said Halberton. "Pink isn't suited to you anyways. As of now, you are the wing commander for the __**Archangel**__'s mobile suits, your authority in that regard surpassing even the ship captain's, as well as being the third highest ranked officer of the ship."_

* * *

_The Resolute had been completely disarmed, and the mobile suit was now in free fall. The Dauntless had destroyed its double gatling shield and beam sabers, and all of its other weapons had been used up. Panting as she fell into the atmosphere, Makoto aimed the Exia at the vulnerable artillery mobile suit. She began to squeeze the trigger._

_And then she released it, shaking her head._

"_No," she said softly. "Not like this."_

* * *

"_Why?! Why me?! Why did he want me to do this?!" cried Makoto, ignoring Liz entirely. "I can't do it… I can't…" Makoto trailed off, sobs racking her body._

* * *

"_Yes," said Erik. "I gunned down her parents right in front of her eyes. And, unintentional though it may have been, she's actually given me something that I wanted in return. My thanks and apology will be to die, while doing my best to give her the ability she needs to survive this war."_

* * *

"… _**finish it,**__" said Erik over the radio suddenly. Makoto began to squeeze the trigger, released it, and started again._

_She wanted too. She wanted it more than anything she'd ever wanted before in her life. To kill this man who'd taken her parents from her… to avenge the death of the two people who brought her into the world. But…_

"_No," said Makoto resolutely, lowering the Exia. "I won't."_

* * *

"_Serenity Sakaeru Taiyonoha, at your service," said the black-haired woman, not breaking eye contact with the redhead. "I doubt my niece has mentioned me much though."_

* * *

"_Happy birthday, Makoto."_

* * *

"_No! Hell no! I agreed to let you guys take me out, but we are not going to a karaoke bar!" came a female voice. Though they couldn't place it, it was familiar to the members of the Zala Team, and it prompted them to stop and look at the source._

_What they saw caught them completely by surprise._

* * *

"_I'm sorry, Athrun," said Lacus. Athrun smiled and shook his head._

"_It's okay," he said. "I understand. I'm happy for you… and I'm only sorry that my mission may jeopardize that happiness."_

"_Did you mean what you said back in the desert, Erik?" asked Makoto softly. "Will you keep coming after me?"_

_Erik was quiet for a moment before he spoke up._

"_I think so," he said. "Understand this, please. I can't be trusted by anyone. Not even myself. I just hope you don't have to see just why that is." Makoto nodded in response. "And… I know it doesn't count for much, but for what it's worth, I'm sorry."_

_Kira nodded. "Bye… Athrun."_

_He held out his hand, and Birdie hopped from Athrun's hand to Kira's, turning around to face his creator as Kira moved the robotic pet closer to his chest. Athrun smiled._

"_See you around, Kira."_

* * *

"_I want you to promise me something Makoto," said Lacus seriously. Makoto frowned. "Promise me that you'll take care of him. That you'll protect him. That… that you'll make sure he doesn't do something he'll regret later."_

_Makoto looked into Lacus's eyes. Piercing green orbs of emerald met strong-willed sky blue orbs of diamond, and Makoto nodded._

"_Okay," she said. "I promise."_

* * *

"_Don't worry," said Makoto, returning the hug. "I promise you, I will live through this." There was such conviction in Makoto's voice that the others couldn't help but believe her._

"_Don't forget you're training," said Misuumi, placing a fond hand on Makoto's head. "And most importantly, don't forget the teachings of Shinsei Tsurugi. Have faith in yourself and your friends."_

* * *

"_Heh, I admire you," said Erik. "I really do. How, Makoto? How is it that you were able to let go of your vengeance if this is what it feels like?" A stray thought crossed Erik's mind and he looked over his shoulders at Nicol's music sheets._

"_That's it, isn't it?" said Erik, looking out the window again to where the Blitz had once been docked. "It's something that can't be taught or learned, but something you must discover for yourself, right? It's knowing that vengeance isn't what they'd want for you? Nicol, you wouldn't want this for us either, would you?"_

"_Then… I won't fight for vengeance," said Erik. "But my mission hasn't changed. I won't kill any of our friends if I don't have too. But…" He raised his hand, forming it into a gun shape, index finger slightly bent, pointing it at the Resolute. "I will destroy all of them. The legged ship __**and**__ its mobile suits." He tilted his hand back, as though from the recoil of a gunshot._

* * *

"_Thank you…" said Liz softly. Then, she stood up, crossed the distance between them, grabbed Makoto, and kissed the redhead._

_Makoto's eyes widened in shock at the feel of Liz's lips against hers. This was… she'd never expected something like this._

_Before Makoto could react, Liz pulled back, a small, sad, but content smile adorning her lips even as tears poured from her eyes._

"_I love you, Makoto," said Liz before spinning and tearing out of the room and down the hall, tears continuing to stream from her eyes._

* * *

"_You're not a threat to me or my friends any longer, Saharin," said Makoto coldly, pupils dilated, emerald irises engulfing almost her entire eyes, appearing faceted like a diamond. Tears of blood leaked from Makoto's eyes, staining her once-pristine uniform._

_Fractures spread through the frame of the Dauntless as, before Makoto's very eyes, the Resolute fell apart, the pieces exploding, and the cockpit landing safely in the water._

"_Hold together girl," said Makoto, turning to face the other battles. The Aegis ran out of power as she watched and, knowing what would happen, Makoto rushed forward, further straining the Dauntless's badly damaged frame, already pushed past its limits._

_The Exia flashed, severing the Aegis's claws and freeing the Strike at the same instant the clawed mobile armor exploded._

_**So… this is the price for saving Cagalli. Tolle's life… and mine. Did I try to play god? Mess with fate?**_

_**Elizabeth… I'm sorry… I won't be able to give you a response…**_

_Makoto realized she would never know the answer to her questions as her machine, her precious Dauntless, disintegrated around her and flames licked at her body and uniform, her cockpit beginning to collapse inward on her body._

* * *

"_Kira was only fighting to protect the people he cared about too!" retorted Cagalli furiously. "He didn't deserve to be killed! And by his best friend of all people!"_

_Athrun didn't say anything, but a fresh set of tears rolled down his face._

"_Someone's killed for killing another! Then that guy is killed for killing him! How is that twisted thinking ever going to bring peace?!" demanded Cagalli, crying._

* * *

_Hotaru frowned slightly, but shook her head, turning her attention to the still form on the bed._

"_Well, good luck out there," she said. "Oh, and don't make me come save your ass again, 'kay? I came to the Marshall Islands to try and live in peace where no one could find me, not to rescue random mobile suit pilots and the passengers of destroyed planes."_

"_I'll remember that," said Erik. The figure on the bed suddenly groaned and opened its uncovered left eye to reveal a shining silver orb._

* * *

"_What's her name?" asked Athrun as he sat down on the other bed._

"_Well, it was just further proof that she isn't Makoto," said Erik. "She has silver eyes, too, not like Makoto's. Her name's Michiru."_

* * *

"_I know it's been a difficult series of battles for you," said Rau. "Miguel, Nicol, Commander Waltfeld, Commander Morassim. They and many others have lost their lives to him, and many more have lost their lives to the Dauntless pilot. Since you are the one to defeat him and destroy the Dauntless, your skills are highly valued by the homeland. The decision has been made to honor you with the Order of the Nebula."_

_Athrun looked away in shame. He didn't deserve a medal as far as he was concerned. He'd murdered two good people in a blind rage over something that didn't really happen._

_A knock on the door drew their attention, and a few seconds later, the door was opened to admit Erik._

"_Ah, Erik, you made it," said Rau, who'd requested Erik's presence in Athrun's room. "I've just informed Athrun that he's been awarded ZAFT's highest honors. And the same award has been extended to you."_

"_You're top guns now, both of you," said Rau. "You are to be the pilots of our latest mobile suits. You've been instructed to return to the homeland to receive the new machines."_

"_Erik, will you be taking that girl with you?" asked Rau. Athrun glanced over. He hadn't realized Michiru was well enough to seriously travel, especially to space._

"_Yes," said Erik. "I'll look after her for as long as I can. To repay a debt that I can never repay." With that, Erik left, Rau nodding almost approvingly at the back of the ZAFT redcoat._

* * *

"_Thank you," said Michiru, almost too softly for Erik to hear. "For giving me a second chance. And I'm sorry."_

* * *

"_I did not help a spy," answered Lacus calmly. "I simply provided Kira with a newer, better sword, because I felt that he had need of it now."_

_Athrun's eye widened in shock. That was impossible! Kira was dead. He killed Kira himself. She was using Kira to trick him!_

"_You're lying!" he shouted, pointing the gun at her. "Kira's dead! I… I…"_

"_Killed him with your own hands?" supplied Lacus coldly, her eyes filling with an unmistakable fury as Athrun faltered. "I assure that he's still very much alive."_

* * *

"_What is it that you're fighting for? Is it because of that medal you received? Or your father's orders?" asked Lacus, her tone and demeanor completely changing, becoming serious. "Because if that is so, then you'll likely find yourself fighting Kira as an enemy again. And I as well."_

"_Lacus…"_

_Lacus stood up and walked towards him. "And if you see me as an enemy, then you might as well shoot me now," said Lacus. "Athrun Zala, soldier of ZAFT!"_

* * *

"_Take care of her," said Erik, who spun the pistol and pointed it directly at his own head, drawing more gasps as several people rushed forward to stop him, including Nabiki._

"_Onii-chan, no!" screamed Nabiki, suddenly sounding much younger._

_**BANG!!!**_

_The gunshot was followed by shocked silence._

"_Sorry, Nabiki," said Erik as he removed his fist from his sister's gut. "But I really wanted my little sister back."_

"_Erik-nii… san…" said Nabiki softly as her eyes drifted shut and she fell unconscious. Behind Erik, Michiru fell back into her wheelchair wearily, a still-smoking gun held in hand._

_Athrun reached down and picked up Erik's gun from where it had fallen after being shot from his hand by Michiru. He was surprised when it felt too light, and looked at it._

_There was no clip. The gun had never been loaded._

* * *

"_Athrun," said Lacus as she and her supporters readied to leave. "There's something you have to know… there's no doubt left. I love Kira. I always will. If you hurt him… I'll never forgive you."_

* * *

"_Faith?" she questioned softly. "Is this… fate? No… fate says I died, after all. I guess mom's looking after me. Faith… let's go."_

"_Athrun Zala, Justice launching!" said Athrun, hitting the controls as the red mobile suit launched._

"_Erik Saharin, Conviction, taking off!" said Erik as his black machine leapt upwards._

"_Nabiki Ombre, Faith, let's go!" said the final redcoat, allowing her silver-white machine to take flight, opening her left eye to reveal a shining orb of silver._

* * *

"_Trying to make a statement, Michiru?" asked Hotaru as she finished reading the music and lyrics sheets the wounded girl had written on the way to the PLANTs. "'I'll find you somewhere, I'll keep on trying.' Someone you're looking for?"_

"_No," said Michiru, quietly. The girl was always quiet. "It's just a song from the heart. Shouldn't they all be?"_

* * *

"_I believe these belong to you," said Hotaru, handing Michiru the chain necklace first. Michiru looked at the necklace and gasped._

"_You… you knew?" she said. Hotaru smiled._

"_Erik didn't notice," she said. "I took them before he could. I thought you might like that bit of information kept quiet, and it seems my suspicions were right."_

"_I… thank you, Hotaru," said Michiru, putting the chain necklace back on._

"_Also, this black box is yours," said Hotaru. "It's from the wreckage. Take it with you." Michiru nodded and picked up the black box._

"_Good luck out there," said Hotaru as Michiru walked out. "Angel of Faith."_

_Michiru paused for a moment and then, with a slight smile, continued to walk on._

_As the Justice and Conviction took off, Michiru stared at the black box for a moment, then set it behind her seat. Taking off her helmet, she put that behind the seat as well, and removed the bandages around her head, leaving only the one covering her right eye, and allowing her largely uneven hair to fall freely to between her shoulder blades. Gripping the controls, she looked at the cockpit around her._

"_Faith… let's go," she said. "It's time we returned home."_

_With that, the Faith Gundam took to the air, following after its companions, ready to fight for the sake of peace._

* * *

Eyes stared at the trio. The one that had saved the Freedom was reminiscent of the Aegis, but its main body was less bulky and instead attached a large backpack that was currently horizontal with the body, making the red Gundam look, in essence, like the Aegis with a Guul attached to its back.

The one that had saved the Raven, on the other hand, was entirely new. Its body was rather bulky, with thicker leg, arm and chest armor, and even the head looked well armored. Its backpack consisted of two half-circles with what seemed to be turrets attached. A cannon, like that of the Calamity, was visible in the chest, its shield was oddly shaped with a pair of cannon barrels, or perhaps beam sabers, attached at the end, dual cannons were mounted on each shoulder, and a massive cannon was held in its hand. The black and white Gundam looked like it possessed more firepower than any machine any of them had ever laid eyes on.

The last one, the one that had saved the Guardian, looked a lot like the Freedom, but its head and shoulder armor were reminiscent of the Dauntless, and it had four wings as opposed to the Freedom's two. Its shield was smaller and wider than the Freedom's, with blades on the end of it and a black, serrated whip-like weapon hanging from it. A pair of large, solid swords was mounted on its hips above a pair of railguns, which were smaller than those of the Freedom. The silver-white and black Gundam seemed much like the Freedom, an angel descended from the heavens to fight evil.

"What? A new playmate? How fun!" said Louisa, clearly not caring that the Freedom had just escaped destruction because of the new arrival, and simply charging the pair with the Twilight.

"Where the hell do these bastards come from?!" demanded Roslyn as the Supremacy joined the Twilight in its charge.

"Damn it! Who the hell are you?!" shouted Clotho, transforming the Raider and charging the Raven and the black and white machine.

"Wow… another one of these… funny looking mobile suits," commented Shani before shifting the Forbidden to close-combat mode and following the Raider.

"How dare you interfere?!" roared Christian, pushing the Deliverance's thrusters well past their maximum limits, following the Raider and Forbidden.

"Damn it, you bastard! I almost had that bitch!" shouted Kazuo, charging in and flipping the Exia Kai to rifle mode.

All six Earth Forces machines fired, and the Freedom, Raven, Guardian and new arrivals broke apart to dodge the attack.

"Kira, are you okay?" asked Athrun, still worried about his friend.

"_Athrun?_" gasped Kira. "_What are you doing here?_"

"Really Chris, losing to this copycat, you should be ashamed," commented Erik mildly as he evaded the attacks of the two machines, even the Forbidden's bending plasma beams, without much apparent effort.

"_What the…? Erik?!_" exclaimed Chris.

"Elizabeth, stay back," said the Faith pilot. "This son of a bitch is mine."

Kira, Chris and Liz all froze in shock.

"M-Makoto?" breathed Liz. No… it couldn't be…

But it was.

Within the Faith, Makoto smiled.

"Yes," she said. "Sorry I'm late. But I did return. I'm back, and I have no intention of leaving again."

"_Chris, Liz, you two get out of here,_" said Erik as the Raider, Deliverance and Forbidden passed between him and Chris. "_Leave these bastards to us._"

"I don't know who you are," said Clotho as the Raider transformed and spun around to face the Conviction's back. "But you're going to be a fatality too!"

He threw the spherical breaker at the Conviction, but Erik dodged aside, and the end of the Conviction's shield suddenly snapped open into a pincer claw, which grabbed hold of the spherical breaker and, to the shock of all, suddenly snapped it in half.

"What the hell?!" exclaimed Clotho, unable to believe that his powerful weapon had been destroyed so easily. Gritting his teeth, Clotho began firing his shield cannon at the Conviction. Erik responded by firing the Inflatus cannons on his machine's shoulders, destroying the projectiles. "ARGH!" screamed Clotho, transforming the Raider and charging.

As the Forbidden prepared to fire on the Conviction, Erik spun and fired his Praemium beam bazooka, the powerful beam blast too strong for the Forbidden's shields to deflect, sending the mobile suit spinning away. Large beam sabers on the Vitiosus shield activated, and Erik used these to ward off the Raider. The Deliverance began firing weapons, but Erik countered with the backpack-mounted turrets, shooting down missiles and forcing Christian to back away to avoid being skewered by the beam fire.

Seeing the Twilight's beam staff, Athrun grabbed the Justice's Lacerta beam sabers, combining them into a beam staff for himself. He raised his shield to catch a shot from the Twilight's beam cannons, and then charged in, beam staff clashing with beam staff, both pilots aiming their shoulder and back-mounted cannons at each other, pushing away just in time to dodge one another's shots. Laughing, Louisa began flying around erratically, the Twilight's wings scattering Mirage Colloid particles through the air, distorting images and radar wherever the particles were left.

The Supremacy's Schwert Gewehr descended on the Freedom, but Kira, knowing all of the Strike's and Striker Packs weapons, brought his shield up, angling it to push the sword aside rather than stop it altogether, then retaliated with a quickly drawn beam saber. The Supremacy backed away, grabbing its beam rifle, and firing on the Freedom. Kira shifted to HiMAT mode and deftly evaded the assault.

The Relentless fired on the Faith, but the silver-white Gundam deftly evaded the shots or deflected them with its shield-mounted heat rod. Teeth grit in anger, Kazuo fired the gun-launchers, but machine cannons unfolded from the Faith's shoulders and opened up, destroying the rockets and proceeding to pound on the Relentless before Kazuo broke away, amazed to see that the assault had drained a fair amount of power.

On the ground, Orga overcame his surprise, and opened up on the aerial battle with everything he had as Chris and Liz reluctantly followed Erik's advice and backed away from the battle.

Despite the beams flying through the air, all ten combatants continued their battles, weaving through the assault to do so.

Many of the combatants on the ground hesitated, staring up at the chaotic battle in the sky, like a war unto itself.

"Whoa… what's going on up there?" questioned Mu as the ten machines flew around powerful beam blasts, clashing against one another. More attention continued to be diverted to the aerial battle, until it was practically the only fight occurring at all.

* * *

Orb Military Headquarters

"Are they with the Earth Forces?" questioned one of the operatives.

"I don't think so," said another. "They're providing support for the Freedom!"

Eyes were riveted on the monitors displaying the aerial conflict, a vicious battle for air superiority. But it was clear that the tide of the battle had been balanced by the incredible power of these new arrivals.

Serenity and Misuumi stared at the screen displaying the fight between the Freedom-like machine and the Dauntless-imitation.

"Makoto…" breathed Serenity, unable to believe it, but unable to deny how that machine moved. She spun on the communications operators. "Get me the comm. frequency for those machines, NOW!"

* * *

"If you think to beat me in that disgrace and with those moves, you're even more of a fool than I thought, Kazuo Endo," said Makoto, as she evaded the Exia Kai without apparent effort.

"_Who the hell are you?!_" shouted Kazuo.

"Don't tell me you forgot all about that little girl you tried to murder for being your teacher's favorite," said Makoto mildly. For an instant, the Relentless froze.

That instant was all Makoto needed. The Faith snatched a handle from its waist, with a cable connecting the handle to the mobile suit. Suddenly, a large beam sword ignited from the handle, and the Exia Kai was knocked clear out of the Relentless's hand and sent spinning through the air. Kazuo was shocked, but still reached for his anti-armor swords, drawing them and slashing at the Faith.

The Faith shot backwards, firing its railguns at the swords repeatedly, knocking the blades from the Relentless's hands. Kazuo was getting worried. What was this machine?!

Kazuo drew his second set of swords, but the Faith surged back in with incredible speed, drawing its own hip mounted swords, which sliced cleanly through those of the Relentless. Desperately, Kazuo fired the beam sabers from his machine's wrists into its hands, but the Faith had already replaced its long swords on its hips and snatched a pair of large beam sabers from its shoulders.

The beam sabers sliced through the tips of the Relentless's sabers, destroying them, and were quickly replaced in the Faith's shoulders. As Kazuo attempted to aim the combo weapon pods on his machine's shoulders, a pair of machine cannons unfolded from the Faith's shoulders and fired, destroying the weapons on the Relentless's own shoulders. Kazuo tried raising the Armfeuer, but the shield of the Faith flashed through the air, the blades cutting off both arms without apparent effort.

Faith then lashed out with its heat rod, wrapping the serrated whip-like weapon around the Relentless, tearing gouges right through the Trans-Phase Armor. Faith then reached up and caught the descending Exia Kai, yanking on its heat rod to pull the Relentless in.

The Exia Kai pierced the cockpit, and Kazuo stared fearfully at the tip of the blade that had stopped mere inches short of skewering him, unable to believe he would be slain by his own sword.

"I can read your moves," said Makoto. "Only a fool tries to fight a master of Shinsei Tsurugi with the sort of novice experience you had."

Kazuo snarled in anger. "_You… bitch!_"

The Relentless opened fire with its head-mounted CIWS, but the bullets did nothing against the Faith's Phase Shift Armor, and Makoto responded by unfolding the Penna machine cannons from her machine's shoulders and firing on the head of the Relentless, the powerful cannons shredding the Trans-Phase Armor in seconds and tearing the head and Igelstellungs apart.

"Insult me, betray me, attack me, dishonor me, wound me, do whatever the hell you want to me," said Makoto coldly. "But the moment you dishonor the memory of my parents, attack the homeland I love, and threaten the friends I swore to protect, there's no turning back! The price for your crimes will be your life!"

Without hesitation, the Exia Kai stabbed forward, piercing all the way through the Relentless and out the back, then cut to the side as the defeated mobile suit was released from the heat rod, falling from the sky and exploding over the water.

Interfaced with the Exia Kai, Makoto swiftly rewrote several control programs for the sword, and the weapon attached itself to the wrist of her new machine, truly rebuilding the Seven Swords of the Dauntless at long last.

* * *

Everyone was shocked. The Relentless had torn apart many foes easily, and had even defeated Liz, albeit with some trouble. But it had just been effortlessly annihilated by the new arrival.

And the manner of destruction…

Well, more than a few people approved, even if they were shocked by the brutality with which the pilot was killed.

"Damn it, he was useless!" said Christian, turning away from the Conviction in order to engage the Faith. The Calamity's weapons all turned on the silver-white mobile suit, and the Supremacy seemingly forgot the Freedom's existence as it recklessly charged to confront the Faith, forcing the Forbidden to deal with the high-mobility unit.

The Raider fired its machineguns and Zorn cannon on the Conviction, but Erik dodged the attacks and returned fire with all six of his machine's CIWS guns as he opened up with the eight backpack-mounted turrets, forcing Clotho into a dizzying dance to avoid the beam gun fire while being pounded on by the CIWS.

Athrun dodged railgun and beam cannon fire from the Twilight, returning fire with the Fatum-00's own Fortis beam cannons. The Twilight fired a Drache Schild at him, but Athrun knocked it aside with his shield. Suddenly, the other Drache Schild came flying in, and crashed into the Justice's torso. But rather than the usual flamethrowers, a burst of electricity emerged from the extendable claw, the energy encompassing the Justice and Athrun.

"Argh!" cried Athrun in pain. A small part of him noted that he wasn't really being injured, but damn if the electricity didn't hurt, and it was clearly messing with the Justice.

Louisa laughed as she brought the Twilight's Skorpion cannons to bear on the red nuisance.

"Athrun!" shouted Kira, letting loose on the Forbidden with a furious barrage that proved entirely ineffective.

Suddenly, the Raven and Guardian came flying in, the Guardian assaulting the Twilight while the Raven attempted to cut the Drache Schild with its Ahura Mazda.

"You pests!" said Louisa, avoiding the Guardian's assault and catching it with her other Drache Schild, while the Ahura Mazda were deflected by a powerful anti-beam coating.

As Liz, likewise, learned the true power of the Twilight's Drache Schild, the Skorpion cannons began tracking the Raven, preventing Chris from interfering.

"Damn it all!" shouted Dearka, leaping into the air along with the Duel, Surge and Hellfire Blitz. The four had witnessed the assault of the siblings, and realized that they'd need something far stronger to free the Justice and Guardian. And there was only one, really good candidate, given the anti-beam coating on the Drache Schild.

Dearka combined his rifle and gun-launcher to form the hyper impulse sniper rifle and opened up, along with Yzak, Nicol and Saul, on the Deliverance, Calamity and Supremacy, which had been hounding the Faith badly.

"_I don't know who you are, but you have to stop that machine!_" said Yzak.

Makoto didn't need to be told twice. Spreading the Faith's wings to their full breadth, pulses of light emerged from the wings, and the Faith suddenly surged forward, even faster than the Surge at its best, the Exia Kai snapping into attack position.

The Trans-Phase Sword cleaved through the extension of the Drache Schild holding the Guardian, while the Extraxi Phase Shift Heat Rod swung through the air, cutting through the extension of the other Drache Schild, freeing the Justice.

"You bastard!" screamed Louisa, charging the Faith and attacking it with an unnatural ferocity. Makoto struggled under the insane assault, while Athrun and Liz attempted to shake off the disorienting after effects of the electrical burst and repair the scrambled systems of their machines.

Makoto's silver eye shined and darted about, quickly taking in all of these new Gundams.

That silver eye had been showing her similar auras from all people to what she had been able to sense before on only a few. People who were visible to her other sense, like Athrun, had auras far stronger. She'd even seen these auras on cats, insects, and trees, anything that was alive, in essence, with that silver eye (though it could be very annoying at times). She was even able to see the aura of the pilots of mobile suits.

But these new Gundams… there was no aura, when she'd arrived, as though they weren't pilots, but machines. But a faint glow was returning, the sort an insect possessed. What the hell was going on?

As the Justice and Guardian recovered, the Buster, Duel and Surge were forced to back off. The Calamity continued its barrage of the airspace, while the Supremacy suddenly found itself facing the Freedom once more. Glancing around, Roslyn realized that the Forbidden was now battling the Hellfire Blitz, scythe against scythe, anti-beam defense against anti-beam defense. Meanwhile, Athrun confronted the Deliverance, while the Raven flew over to check on the Guardian.

"Liz, you okay?" asked Chris.

"_I'll… I'll be fine,_" gasped Liz. "_I don't know what the hell that thing was, but it was nasty._"

"Let's let them deal with it," suggested Chris. "Our machines just don't measure up."

"_Yeah… yeah, you're right,_" said Liz, the siblings retreating from the aerial battle and returning to their previous task of providing aerial support.

Even with two of the Twilight's major weapons lost, Louisa fought on ruthlessly, and Makoto found herself hard-pressed, despite her experience and the power of the Faith. That machine was incredible, and the pilot was well beyond simply 'first rate'. Even as the Twilight fought in a reckless manner, precision use of all weapons in seamless combination left the Faith almost constantly off-balance, with no pattern and no openings for Makoto to exploit.

The Deliverance crashed its beam sabers against the Justice's shield and beam staff, pushing the two apart. As Christian opened the Deliverance's chest to unleash the Reavers, the Justice's backpack flew forward and slammed into the Deliverance, sending it tumbling through the air, giving Athrun a split second opening to exploit as Christian righted the Deliverance, allowing the ZAFT elite to take the advantage.

Nicol fired the Shi no Hashi on the Forbidden, but Shani blocked with the Forbidden's shields, then returned fire with the Hresvelgr. The Hellfire Blitz responded by dropping its wings over the torso, the anti-beam Mirage Colloid defense dispersing the plasma beam and halting the attack entirely. Both pilots lifted their anti-beam defenses away from their machines body and, with twin battle cries, surged forward, Jigokuogama twin beam scythe clashing with Nidhoggr heavy scythe as the two X200-series frame Gundams struggled for dominance.

The Freedom and Supremacy clashed, beams blossoming from both mobile suits rifles and cannons, solid-projectiles filling the air, and the sound of thunder echoing whenever the two crossed swords. It was a struggle, but Kira could see that he was definitely winning.

Unlike the rest, Erik was having a grand time practically toying with Clotho, who simply couldn't match the Conviction, especially with the loss of his primary melee weapon. Like the Raven, the Raider was oriented for close combat and support, not this sort of drawn out conflict against a suit with both tremendous firepower and an overwhelming punch to all of its weapons.

Suddenly, the Calamity fired into the group, this time much more precisely, the beams coming perilously close to the Conviction, Justice, Raider and Deliverance.

"_Orga!_" shouted an enraged Clotho.

"You're bugging me!" Orga shouted back, the Calamity once again leaping into the air and firing at the group. _Specifically_ the Raider and Deliverance.

Suddenly, he turned to the Forbidden and fired at it just as it separated from the Hellfire Blitz. "The same goes for you, Shani!"

Shani deflected the beams with his shield, the beams flying between the pairs of the Freedom and Justice and the Faith and Conviction.

"These guys don't give a damn about each other!" exclaimed a stunned Athrun. Despite the truth in Athrun's words, Orga did make a point not to fire at the Twilight or Supremacy, as even he feared the two female Biological CPUs.

"This is no team," said Nicol. "What kind of idiot puts people like these in mobile suits of this caliber?"

Makoto eyed the six Gundams critically. That aura visible to her left eye had continued to grow, and at the rate it was going, it was mere seconds from being back to the human norm.

The Raider aimed its railgun at the Calamity. "I've had enough, Orga!" said Clotho. "You bug m—GAAAAAAAAH!"

At that moment, the Gamma Glipheptin in their bodies ran out and the six surviving Biological CPUs started to go through withdrawal. Their bodies were engulfed in agony and they all screamed out in pain.

The five defenders were shocked, as all six of their opponents suddenly went still, simply hovering there, as though waiting for destruction. Makoto stared, wide-eyed.

They'd gone still at the same instant their auras had returned completely to human norm.

"Aw crap… We're out of time!" shouted Orga. "Clotho!"

The Raider transformed into its mobile armor mode and grabbed the Calamity's shoulder with its claws, pulling it along back to the _Powell_, the Forbidden, the Deliverance, the Supremacy and the Twilight close behind.

"What's going on?" questioned Nicol.

"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth," said Makoto, drawing a gasp from Nicol and virtually everyone else who knew her on the battlefield—the Orb operators had just gotten into the radio frequency of the new ZAFT machines, and it was being broadcast to all the defenders on the battlefield. "For now, I've got some pests to deal with!"

Indeed, a trio of Strike Daggers had leapt up to try and confront the Faith. Makoto activated the Vesica beam sword and struck, the powerful blade cutting straight through the mediocre anti-beam coating on the shields of the Strike Daggers. After finishing them, Makoto spread the Faith's wings to their full breadth. The wings began emitting massive pulses of light, and the Faith suddenly surged forward at impossible speeds, its image blurring as it flashed past a dozen Strike Daggers that all exploded a split second later.

Within the cockpit, Makoto was slammed back by the powerful Gs, too much for the G-force dampeners to overcome.

Kira locked onto a dozen targets at once and opened fire, as always, disabling all of his targets without hurting any of the pilots.

The Conviction flipped its shield back into a standby position and gripped its beam bazooka with both hands. The massive weapon fired, the recoil knocking even the Conviction back, and a massive spreading beam slammed into the ground and began moving along it, consuming every Strike Dagger that wasn't fortunate enough to get clear well ahead of time.

The Justice shot its Fatum-00 at a group of Daggers, the beam cannons and machine guns opening up as Athrun landed on the ground and rushed forward with his beam staff, cutting down a dozen more enemy machines.

In the distance, a retreat flare was launched from the Earth Forces fleet, and the Earth Forces pilots were all too happy to turn tail and run before the awesome might of those four machines.

* * *

The _Powell_

"The Calamity, the Deliverance, the Supremacy, the Forbidden, the Twilight and the Raider are returning sir."

Everyone on the bridge was stunned. "They're what?!" shouted Captain Oswald.

Azrael scowled. They hadn't lasted as long as they were supposed to. Nor had they defeated those machines. In fact, that idiot Endo had lost the Relentless! It was completely unacceptable. He'd have to talk to the doctors about increasing the dosages they were being given. After they were properly punished for their failure, of course. Except Christian, for whom he'd make an exception—this time, at least. And then there were those four machines. The white one and the red, black and silver ones that had just arrived. There was something odd about them. The amount of power those machines were displaying didn't seem possible with normal batteries. He briefly wondered if…

Oswald turned to him. "Do you have an explanation for this?" he demanded.

Azrael stood up. "Well then Captain, I think it's time we took a break from this battle. Recall all you're forces," he said with a smirk. "Don't worry it's only temporary."

"What?!"

"Face it," said Azrael. "We're not going to get anywhere with just the Strike Daggers. It simply means Orb had some hidden strengths we weren't quite ready for. We wouldn't stand a chance without the new machines."

Bowing to his logic, Oswald gave the order, though it came too late to save the dozens of unfortunate Dagger pilots that faced the four unknowns.

* * *

The _Powell_ fired up a signal flare, signaling a temporary retreat for the Earth Forces. The defenders of Orb all collectively breathed out a sigh of relief. It was over… for now. But they all knew it was only because of the power of the Freedom, Justice, Conviction and Faith.

"They're retreating, for now. Have all forces switch to standby," ordered a weary Samuel Dante as Cagalli, Serenity and Misuumi left the command room. "Have all surviving forces meet at rally points Bravo, Charlie and Zulu. Get all available personal to repair and resupply the surviving units. And send out teams of medics to search for any wounded. I want a full status report on our remaining forces within the hour."

* * *

The Raider's cockpit hatch opened and Clotho fell out, ripping off his helmet. "It hurts! IT HURTS!" he screamed as his fellow Extended cried out in pain as well.

Withdrawal was always pure hell. And no matter how many times they went through it, they were never used to it. Every ounce of their bodies was hit with pain. It felt like every inch of their insides were on fire. They all cried out, almost pleading for some kind of relief from the agony.

But aside from Christian, they got none from the doctors. The doctors simply scribbled down notes on their clipboards and watched them flail around in pain, none of them noticing that, even through her pain, Louisa was glaring at them with fury, and struggling to prevent herself from murdering them on the spot.

* * *

Onogoro

"Makoto, is that really you?" asked Kira as the Freedom and the Faith floated next to each other, looking like twin mobile suits to almost all watching. The Guardian and Raven flew up towards them.

"_Yeah, it's me,_" said Makoto. "_I'm alive. Thanks to those two._" The Faith turned to face the Justice and Conviction, which were similarly floating together a few dozen meters away.

"Thanks for the backup," said Kira, turning to other two suits as well. "But I'm still wondering what exactly are your true intentions?"

"_I'm under orders from the homeland to either recapture or destroy the machine you're flying right now,_" explained Athrun, just as the Raven and Guardian took up flanking positions on the Freedom and Faith. "_But I have no intention, at least for now, of fighting you or your allies. I just want to talk._"

Kira nodded. "Okay."

Below, Astray pilots wearily powered down their machines and stumbled out, utterly exhausted by the long and difficult battle. The _Archangel_ landed near shore, and Petr Denisov departed the _Anastasia_, curious as to the new arrivals. The Guardian and Raven landed near their brother units, the pilots of the seven surviving first generation Gundams departing their machines, all eyes turned to the four mighty Gundams that steadily descended towards the ground. As they landed, a group gathered around the machines, among them Cagalli, Mu, Chris, Liz, Dearka, Saul, Nicol, Yzak, Victor, Tolle, Murrue and the rest of the _Archangel_ crew, Denisov, Serenity, Misuumi and Shizuka.

The cockpits emerged from atop the torsos of the machines, and four pilots stepped out, three of them wearing ZAFT red pilot suits, one in Earth Forces blue, descending on ziplines, none of them wearing helmets.

Although some eyed Athrun and Erik, most, even Kira, had their eyes riveted on the last of the pilots in ZAFT red as she stepped off the zipline and started walking forward to where Athrun and Kira were walking, Erik behind Athrun.

Suddenly, Liz rushed forward, running straight at redhead pilot. The shorter brunette slammed into the taller redhead, and slammed her fists on the older pilot's chest.

"You… how dare you do that?!" she screamed. "Do you have any idea what we all went through?! What _I_ went through?!"

The redhead smiled down at the Guardian pilot and wrapped Liz in a hug, surprising everyone present.

"I know," she said. "It's okay now, though. I really am here, Elizabeth."

Sobs of joy racked Liz's body, and more people started to run forward, surrounding the former Dauntless pilot. Athrun and Kira were grateful, as it diverted attention away from them.

Out of nowhere, Birdie appeared and landed on Kira's shoulder. Kira glanced at the bird before smiling. "Hi Athrun."

Athrun nodded. "Kira."

"Oh you guys!" shouted Cagalli, running towards the pair, one of the only ones who hadn't run off to Makoto. The shout drew attention back to the pair, as Erik walked over to his old friends. When she reached them, she hugged them, her eyes watering slightly. "You guys are such idiots!"

Kira and Athrun couldn't help but chuckle as she held them.

"A full fledged reunion, wouldn't you say?" said Erik a few meters away, standing with Yzak, Nicol, Saul and Dearka.

"Yeah," said Makoto, walking over to them with Liz at her side.

"It's good to see you guys," said Nicol with smile.

Athrun returned the smile, breaking away from Cagalli's hug. "Same here Nicol."

Kira stared at Makoto's eyes. He was the only one to notice.

"Makoto… what happened to your eye?" asked Kira. Everyone else, except Athrun and Erik, glanced curiously and were surprised to see that Makoto's left eye had turned shining silver, looking almost blind. The redhead reached up and idly touched the skin around the eye, while Serenity, Misuumi and Shizuka all stiffened slightly when they saw it.

"It was like this when I woke up," said Makoto. "Don't worry, I'm not half-blind. On the contrary, I can see some things even more clearly now than I could before."

"Huh?"

* * *

Later That Night

A Heli soared over the damaged areas of Orb. Lord Uzumi Nara Athha stared out at the devastation below them.

"With our surviving strength, it's unlikely that we will last more than a few hours after resume they're attack," said Samuel from pilot's seat.

"I know," replied Uzumi. "Was the civilian evacuation successful?"

"For the most part. We've estimated that approximately eighty-five percent of the civilian population has been evacuated. The rest have been moved to the far side of Onogoro. Hopefully they'll be safe there."

Uzumi nodded. "Thank you for all that you've done. I have one more thing I needed for you to do for me."

"You're going through with it then?"

"Yes. It is the only way for Orb to achieve a meaningful victory."

Samuel nodded. "I know."

* * *

**Author's Note: I would just like to say that I never actually lied to anyone about Makoto. The full explanation will be in the next chapter, which is being posted immediately, so no one has to wait.**

**The mecha profiles for the Faith and Conviction will be at the start of the next chapter.**

**If you want to, I'd really appreciate reviews for this particular chapter, but if you want to wait and simply review this one together with the next, go ahead.  
**


	28. Phase 27: Into the Dawn Sky

**Non-Standard 'Mega' Disclaimer: I do not own the song "Somewhere" by Within Temptation**

**Well, here we are. _Into the Dawn Sky_. The second part of my double update. Oh, and the mecha profiles that I know people have been dying for, and the explanation of just _how the hell_ Makoto is still alive. I won't bore you up here, though.**

_"Faith? Is this… fate? No… fate says I died, after all. I guess mom's looking after me. Faith… let's go."_ – Makoto Michiru Arata.**  
Faith Gundam:**  
Description:  
The final Gundam prototype produced by ZAFT. This powerful mobile suit is an offshoot of the Freedom, oriented towards close combat. Towards this end, it is armed with a series of deadly swords, including oversized hyper beam sabers, a pair of Phase Shift long swords, and a large beam blade derived from the beam swords of the METEOR. Perhaps even more lethal than these weapons are the powerful hyper-velocity pulse thrusters incorporated into the Faith's four wings, which allow it to achieve speeds so great that it actually leaves afterimages of itself. Originally assigned to ZAFT Special Forces agent Nabiki Ombre, the Faith was instead stolen by a woman named Michiru, posing as the subdued Nabiki.

**Model Number:** ZGMF-X16A**  
Overall Height:** 18.07 meters**  
Weight:** 73.6 tons**  
Power Plant:** Ultracompact Nuclear Fission Reactor**  
Special Model Features:** Phase Shift Armor, Neutron Jammer Canceller, 4 High-Speed Mobile Assault Wings, Lightwave Hyper-Velocity Burst Thrusters,**  
Fixed Armament:** MA-X100F "Vesica" Large Beam Sword, stored on waist, hand-carried in use, connected directly to power generator; 2x MA-M010 "Panthera" Hyper Beam Saber, stored in shoulders, hand-carried in use; 2x MMI-599 "Ensis" Phase Shift Long Blade, stored on hips, hand-carried in use; 2x MMI-M18 "Partis" Railgun, folded underneath hips, spread out in use; 2x MMI-GAU4D "Penna" Machine Cannon, fire-linked, mounted on torso; 2x MMI-GAU2 "Picus" 76mm CIWS, fire-linked, mounted in head; MA-M75S "Extraxi" Composite Armed Shield System: Serrated Phase Shift Heat Rod and 2x Phase Shift Blades, mounted on left arm;**  
Optional Fixed Armament:** "Exia Kai II" Sword Rifle, mounted on right forearm, hand-operated in use;**  
Pilot:** Makoto Michiru Arata  
**Appearance: **The Faith looks almost identical to the Freedom, but with the Wing/Wing Zero's head and shoulder armor, and four wings rather than two (like the Strike Freedom)—except, of course, that these wings can't separate into HiMAT Mode. Its shield is about the size of the Exia's shield, with the same blades and the Epyon's heat rod attached.**  
Colors: **Silver-white, with a black torso, silver and blue wings, and blue trim. The eyes are also blue. The shield is also silver, with blue trim, white blades and black heat rod.**  
Notes:** In keeping with the close combat nature of the Dauntless, Makoto's new machine is likewise oriented for close combat, though with greater firepower than the Dauntless had. This machine underwent numerous revisions, but it finally came out to a "five swords plus heat rod" design, with "seven swords" counting heat rod and the stolen Exia Kai. The "Vesica" beam sword is, more or less, the same sort used by the Epyon, and it also equips a pair of massive hyper beam sabers that are nearly as powerful. It also arms a pair of solid swords enhanced with Phase Shift Armor, but sharp enough to cut conventional armor even without that. And since I loved the Epyon's heat rod and speed so much, I gave it the "Extraxi" heat rod, and improved versions of the Surge's high-speed thrusters. Their maximum speed is actually too much for any ordinary—and presumably, extraordinary—pilot to handle. For long-range firepower, I added the short-range versions of the Freedom's railguns on the hip and machine cannons like the Wing Zero's on the shoulders. At first, it definitely appears to be radically overpowered, but it really isn't. It might—_might_—be a bit stronger than the Freedom, but overall, I doubt it.

_"This is one weapon that shouldn't exist. Strange how I only find something to fight for now that I have it."_ – Erik Saharin.**  
Conviction Gundam:**  
Description:  
ZAFT's seventh prototype nuclear-powered Gundam mobile suit. The Conviction was built specifically for the use of former Resolute pilot Erik Saharin, as a successor to his outdated—but powerful—machine. As such, it possesses a tremendous level of firepower that even the Freedom and Retribution couldn't hope to match. Though it was developed with the frame of the Providence Gundam, the Conviction was completed sooner, due to its overall simpler systems and design. This machine launched alongside the Justice and Faith Gundams in pursuit of the stolen Freedom.

**Model Number:** ZGMF-X15A**  
Overall Height:** 18.54 meters**  
Weight:** 83.41 tons**  
Power Plant:** Ultracompact Nuclear Fission Reactor**  
Special Model Features:** Phase Shift Armor, Neutron Jammer Canceller, Atmospheric Flight Backpack,**  
Fixed Armament:** MGX-1562 "Terminus" Multi-Phase Beam Cannon, mounted in chest; 2x MA-3HII "Inflatus" Dual Beam Cannon, mounted on rotating shoulder docks; 8x MMI-KF86 Turret: 2x fire-linked GDU-X5 Assault Beam Machine Gun, mounted on backpack, swivels to fire forwards or backwards; 2x MMI-GAU2 "Picus" 76mm CIWS, fire-linked, mounted in chest; 4x MMI-GAU1 "Sagittus" 20mm CIWS, fire-linked, mounted in head; MA-MV06 "Vitiosus" Composite Armed Shield System: Pincer Mode with Beam Blade Heat Claw, 2x Large Beam Saber, sabers double as beam cannons, mounted on left arm;**  
Optional Hand Armament:** MA-M666 "Praemium" Beam Bazooka**  
Pilot:** Erik Saharin**  
Appearance: **It looks almost exactly like the Virtue from Gundam 00, but with less bulky leg armor and no GN Field generators or 'V crest', a larger version of the backpack of the Legend from SEED Destiny, eight small DRAGOON-like turrets mounted on the backpack, a cannon in the chest, and a shield like that of the Kyrios on the left arm, which mounts the beam sabers on the end of the two halves of the pincer claw.**  
Colors: **Primarily black, with blue-green trimming, and the body beneath the armor is white (essentially, envision it as though it had a Nadleeh-like Gundam beneath the armor. The Nadleeh would be white, while the Virtue armor is completely black).**  
Notes:** Originally, Erik's new Gundam was going to be based on his original Resolute, but I ultimately decided it was too much firepower for a nuclear Gundam to have—or at least, when it was a 'good guy' machine. That said, the Conviction still has overwhelming firepower, but it's not as bad as the original was—which, really, could've pounded on even machines like the Freedom so heavily that they'd be screwed. This machine was inspired primarily by the Legend, with the backpack turrets, but after watching Gundam 00, I ended up adding in the weapons of the Gundam Virtue as well, along with a variation of the shield of the Gundam Kyrios. Yes, this machine is powerful. Not as powerful as the Providence, and suffering in the areas of both speed and mobility (it is the slowest and least agile, discounting the Regenerate, but that thing was ridiculous anyways and made up for it in many ways). I hope everyone like Erik's new toy.

**Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply. ****I do not own Gundam SEED or any of its characters or mecha. The Original Characters Chris Dante, Liz Dante, Johanna Dante, Samuel Dante, Zane Scirocco, Saul Kessel and Victor Cain are the property of Akatsuki Leader13. I do not own the Original Mecha GAT-X302 Raven Gundam, GAT-X204 Surge Gundam, MBF-MX1 Athena, or (within limits) the MBF-XX105 Talos II, which are likewise the property of Akatsuki Leader13. I do own the Original Characters Makoto Arata, Erik Saharin, Misuumi Taiyonoha, Serenity Taiyonoha, Shizuka Taiyonoha, Christian Balliet, Roslyn Nawda and Louisa Kohls. I also own the Original Mecha GAT-X308 Guardian Gundam, GAT-X135 Deliverance Gundam, the GAT-X150 Supremacy Gundam, GAT-X264 Twilight Gundam, ZGMF-X15A Conviction Gundam and ZGMF-X16A Faith Gundam.  
**

* * *

Phase Twenty-Seven: Into the Dawn Sky

June 15th, C.E. 71

* * *

An Orb Hanger

The hanger was abuzz with activity. Technicians rushed to resupply and repair the Astrays and other mobile suits. Kira was sitting in front of the Freedom, Justice, Conviction and Faith with Athrun, Erik and Makoto, explaining what had happened. Chris, Yzak, Saul, Nicol, Dearka, Tolle, Mir, and many of the other _Archangel_ crewmembers all stood nearby, Liz standing next to Makoto, refusing to leave the redhead for even a minute. As Kira neared the end of his explanation, Cagalli came by with a tray containing cups of water to give the four and passed them along before taking a seat across from them.

"I know that it's the most difficult path for Orb to have taken," explained Kira. "But I also believe that it cannot be helped. I believe that Cagalli's father is true. If Orb sided with the Earth Forces, then the Atlantic Federation would use its resources to attack the PLANTs, but the same is true if Orb sided with ZAFT. The only difference would be who was designated the enemy. But there would be no real change for the better. I can't let it go on like that."

Makoto nodded. "If we sacrifice the ideals of Orb, then we sacrifice everything, including our freedom," she said, chuckling slightly as she spoke the last word, glancing up at Kira's machine.

"I know I nearly killed Nicol," said Kira softly. "I'm glad I didn't. But that event—and Tolle's near death." Here, Kira glanced over at his friend, who smiled wearily from his position next to Mir. Dearka was eyeing the two with a slight smile on his face. "Well, let's just say they helped me a lot. I'm glad no one died, but those two events are what taught me what I should be fighting for and what I should be fighting against."

Kira paused, looking up towards the four powerful nuclear-powered Gundams.

"It'd be great if we lived in a world where we never had to fight," he said. "And that if we could stay in that world forever. But this war is only getting worse everyday. If it continues like this, eventually Earth and the PLANTs will have no choice but to wipe each other out. And that's why I'm fighting." He paused to take a drink. "When I started fighting, I did it to protect others. But having pulled a trigger, it's too late to go back. Are you and I going to have to fight each other again?"

Athrun couldn't find an answer. The words of his father and Lacus were stuck on a constant loop in his mind. He didn't know what he should do anymore. Before, everything had been so simple. Obey the orders of your superiors in the military and the government, and fight the enemy. But now everything had become so complicated.

Kira turned to Chris. "I'm curious, why do you fight Chris?" he asked.

Chris shrugged. "Well nothing as noble as you. I guess I'm simply watching your back so you live long enough to change the world for the better. That, and keep everyone else alive."

Kira smiled, turning to Makoto. "And you, Makoto?" he asked.

"Because I can," said Makoto without hesitation. "I fight because I am able to. I fight so that others don't have too. I fight so that others don't have to sacrifice their soul and slowly tear it apart fighting to protect others from those who pursue meaningless conflict." Makoto paused and looked up at the Faith with her now mismatched eyes. "I fight so that weapons such as the Faith will not be abused."

"One question," said Chris. "How'd you deal with that Dauntless-copy so easily?"

"Well, there were several factors," said Makoto with a shrug. "What it comes down to is the pilot, though. His name was Kazuo Endo, an amateur student of the same school of martial arts as I study. Master Misuumi always favored me, though, and Endo became jealous and tried to kill me. He only very narrowly evaded arrest. Anyways, out there, he tried to use Shinsei Tsurugi. Of course, as you all saw, it didn't work out so well. I could read his moves without effort, allowing me to overcome him easily. It helps that the Faith's strong point is in one-on-one encounters with mobile suits of similar power, in contrast to the commander-type Justice and 'grunt massacre' type Freedom and Conviction."

"That makes sense," said Chris. "No wonder you killed the bastard."

"I killed him because he was dishonoring my parents, attacking my homeland and threatening my friends," said Makoto sternly. "Anything he did to me is inconsequential next to that."

"Alright, alright, I get it."

"I'm also curious as to how you survived," said Cagalli. "I mean, according to our reports, the cockpit was utterly destroyed. We only found a bit of the cockpit, with bits of a uniform, some hair, blood and skin tissue on it, all of it matching up with you."

"Ah, that," said Makoto. "Well…"

* * *

_Begin Flashback_

_As the Strike was cut free and began to back away, the Aegis exploded, the fireball quickly expanding, slamming into the Strike and Dauntless, and continuing on to slam into the Raven._

_While the Raven was sent flying free of the explosion, the Strike was slammed on its back and pushed along the ground, gouging a trench in the ground, flames occasionally entering through the cut in the torso to lick at Kira's body through the pilot suit._

_The Dauntless, its frame saturated with microfractures, began falling apart into countless pieces, the cockpit bending and warping under the kinetic and heat energy, before breaking apart, a small piece remaining attached to the collapsing frame of the machine while the bulk of the cockpit was flung free, crashing into nearby waters with some of the debris._

_The rapidly heated and then cooled cockpit froze, with no way of opening the hatch. Senselessly, Makoto pushed herself through the hole torn in the cockpit, a small part of her grateful for the salt water that cleansed her wounds and cooled her burns, despite the sting._

_Tearing skin, hair and clothes as she forced her way out of the cockpit, Makoto freed herself, but fell unconscious, water filling her lungs as the cockpit crashed onto a spike rock below, breaking to pieces as the badly injured redhead floated towards shore._

* * *

"I see," said Cagalli. "Guess we should've been more thorough about checking underwater."

"Hey, you shouldn't comment on that," said Erik. "_I'm_ still kicking myself for ever _thinking_ that wreckage might've been from a plane, though I am curious about the black box."

"Yeah, I hooked it up to the Faith on the way here, but I wasn't able to get in," said Makoto. "Anyways, I inspected the wreckage awhile ago. It seems that the cockpit was heavily reinforced with a triple armor layer. Not Phase Shift Armor, but enough to keep me alive while the Dauntless fell apart around me."

Victor stepped over to Makoto and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Great to have you back, regardless," he said. "Things just weren't the same without the Dauntless Angel around giving orders."

Kira smiled as he stood up. "He's right. I'm glad you're still with us," he said. "Well, I guess I should get back to my duties now." Kira turned to leave.

"I have one question Kira," said Athrun, stopping him. "The Freedom has the N-Jammer Canceler. What if someone tried to acquire the data for their own purposes?"

"I'd shoot them," said Kira instantly. "And if needed, I'd destroy the Freedom to safeguard it."

And with that, Kira left. Chris let out a whistle. "Whatever Miss Clyne said to him in the PLANTs, it sure was effective," he commented. To his surprise, Athrun, Erik and Makoto all burst out laughing. He shrugged it off, figuring now wasn't the time. "Well, I better go see that the Raven's been resupplied."

He left as well. And one by one, the others left to get back to work. In the end, only Athrun and Cagalli were left.

* * *

The _Powell_

"So Captain, when will we be able to resume the attack?" asked Azrael.

"Orb has been repeatedly sending requests to open negotiations," said Oswald.

"No. It's far too late for that," replied Azrael. "We could never hope to control a nation like that. It'd be in our best interest if they… _disappeared_."

"We'll be ready to resume the attack in the morning," said Oswald, having already known Azrael would never listen. "The main concern is with your_ people_."

"Sorry about that. But things are being taken care of as we speak. There won't be a repeat of what happened earlier."

* * *

Orb Hanger

Athrun sat beside the Justice, thinking on everything that had happened since this whole mess began. Of course, that also led to the question of where the mess really began. The Marshall Islands? Heliopolis? The Bloody Valentine? Actually, Athrun supposed that the real mess began nearly a century ago, with the birth of George Glenn.

Athrun shook his head, and focused his thoughts on the immediate mess, until he noticed that Cagalli was standing nearby and watching him.

"Why are you sticking so close to me anyway?" he asked.

"No reason," answered Cagalli. "I just wanted to keep an eye on you."

While he didn't laugh, he did get her little joke. After all that had happened the two previous times they'd been together, he wasn't surprised the she'd stick close to him for a while.

"You must be relieved to see that Kira's alive," she commented.

Athrun wasn't sure what exactly to say to that. "Yeah." He paused and added. "I never got to thank you for before."

"What?" she said. "Of course you did. Well, kind of. After all, in your state of mind at the time, you might not remember."

She was lying, of course.

"Mm… yeah," said an unconvinced Athrun.

Cagalli wanted to change the subject, and fast. "Kira's really changed, hasn't he?"

"Not really."

Cagalli twisted her head back to him. "No?"

"He's pretty much the same as he's always been," he replied, standing up.

"So, what do you plan to do about everything?" she asked with a hint of nervousness. She was worried about his answer to her question.

"I really don't know," he told her. "But maybe the answer is right in front of me and I just haven't seen it yet. This is going to be a tough choice."

As he walked away, Cagalli had to agree with him. Everyone at Orb, she, her father, her friends, and the crew of the _Archangel_ faced a daunting path ahead of them.

Subconsciously, a smile formed on her lips. In a way, it was funny. The path was daunting… but they also had the Dauntless Angel on their side once again.

* * *

Makoto sighed in relief as she stepped out onto the observation level of the hangar. She'd finally managed to shake Liz and everyone else off—not that she wasn't just as happy to see them as they were to see her, but she needed some time alone to think.

After spending the better part of a month wheelchair-bound, and nearly two months after the destruction of the Dauntless, Makoto was finally feeling one hundred percent once again. Despite the concerns of the Carpentaria doctors that she'd be half-blind in her right eye, her vision was better than ever in both eyes. Not only that, but her skin was completely unblemished… after removing the last of her bandages, Makoto had found that, aside from her silver eye, there was absolutely no evidence of what had truly happened to her left on her body.

_Well, not entirely true_, she thought ruefully, fingering her hair. She'd lost a good six inches of hair, and it was completely uneven. Makoto loved her hair, which was why she'd never cut it, despite the length being rather impractical for a pilot. Sighing, Makoto dropped her hair and leaned against the railing.

"Is seeing your homeland in this state so depressing?" came a voice with a Russian accent suddenly. Makoto looked up to see a Eurasian military officer walking towards her.

"Petr Denisov, captain of the _Anastasia_," he said, holding a hand out to her, which she accepted. "You're Makoto Arata, right? I must admit, I never thought I'd meet the Dauntless Angel, even after Mr. Yamato arrived with the Freedom."

"Yes, I'm Makoto," she said. "Dauntless Angel?" Denisov smiled slightly.

"A nickname I tagged you with at JOSH-A," he said. "I tagged Yamato with the name 'Strike Knight', but somehow, that no longer seems appropriate." The two leaned against the rail, Makoto chuckling slightly in the back of her throat.

"No, I suppose it isn't," she said. "You know, it's funny. Hotaru tagged me with a similar name. 'Angel of Faith', is what she called me."

"Heh, so, we have the White Angel of Freedom and the Dauntless Angel of Faith," said Denisov.

"You come up with names quick," said Makoto, glancing back in the direction of her suit. "Well, I guess they are appropriate in a way."

"I'll be honest, I never thought the day would come that I'd be fighting alongside mobile suits," said Denisov. "But not only are my people and I fighting alongside them, but using them ourselves, and with four mobile suits of incredible power."

"I'm not so sure what is truly 'incredible' about nuclear power," said Makoto. Denisov shrugged.

"Nothing is incredible about nuclear power," he said. "What is incredible about the power of those machines is not truly their power plant or weapons, but what they stand for and how their power is used. 'With great power comes great responsibility'. An ages-old proverb. Yet, one that so few people ever care for. Few people have ever used great power responsibly, and many people have praised the power to snuff out countless innocent lives. It's sickening, isn't it?"

"Balance," said Makoto. Denisov raised an eyebrow curiously. "Humans are capable of the most vile, despicable things in the world. At the same time, we're capable of great nobility, of creating beauty that no other life form on this planet can match. It's a balance of good and evil. If we are to reach the extremes of one, we must also be capable of reaching the extremes of the other."

Denisov smiled approvingly. "Indeed," he said, straightening up. "I'll leave you alone, then. This has been a pleasant chat. I hope we can speak more in the future."

"We all do, Captain," said Makoto. "Everyone here feels the same."

* * *

"So, why'd you and Athrun give a nuclear-powered mobile suit to Makoto, if I might ask?" questioned Yzak. Erik chuckled.

"Well, the other candidate was my sister," he said.

"You have a sister?!" exclaimed Saul.

"Yeah," said Erik. "But I didn't want her to be piloting a nuclear-powered machine. Lately, I've come to increasingly distrust our esteemed former commander, and I know for a fact that Nabiki was targeted by Le Creuset as an 'apprentice', though the term lackey is probably more accurate. It had something to do with someone named Kyusai, but that's all I ever heard about it."

"Still, handing over a machine to a former enemy?" said Nicol. "I mean, sure, we're all friends, but…"

"Didn't think it was her, actually," said Erik. "I'm still kicking myself for being so stupid. Turns out that, as a noble of Orb, she's been taught to answer requests for a name with her _full_ name, though she hides it most of the time. Her full name is Makoto Michiru Arata. I only caught her middle name, and assumed it was her first."

"Given the eye, the state of her injuries, and what you overheard, it's not so surprising," said Yzak. "I certainly didn't see much of the red hair under all those bandages."

"Just how bad was it?" asked Nicol.

"Let me put it this way: the esteemed 'Angel' may be just that," said Erik, grimacing. "She should be _dead_ from her injuries."

"What will you do?" asked Saul. Erik shrugged.

"I'll stick by Makoto," he said. "Wherever she goes, I'll follow. I owe her that much, and honestly? I can't return to ZAFT, and the Earth Forces sure as _hell_ are out of the question."

"Guess I can understand you're position," said Yzak, surprising the others. "After Panama… well, after everything, I don't think I could go back to ZAFT until all of this is over."

"Hey, we might not be going back to ZAFT at all," said Dearka. "You and I might get gunned down by one of those damned new Earth Forces mobile suits."

"Gundams," said Erik.

"Gun… dam?" questioned Nicol.

"A nickname for those machines," said Erik. "The start-up display, remember? 'General Unilateral Neuro-link Dispersive Autonomic Maneuver'. In the case of the Freedom, Justice, Conviction and Faith, 'Generation Unrestricted Nuclear/Drive Assault Module'. An acronym, but it sounds better than to just lump them in with the regulars."

"Well, there's no denying that," said Saul, suddenly pausing. "Hey, do you guys hear that?"

* * *

"So, you really do love her, don't you?" asked Chris, walking up to Liz outside the Guardian. His sister nodded.

"Yes," she said. "I still can't believe she's here though. And I'm kinda surprised that she doesn't hate me."

"So, you told her? Is that why you guys had been acting so professional?" asked Chris. Liz nodded.

"The day after we captured Nicol," she said. "Well, actually, first I made her promise she wouldn't hate me, then I kissed her, and _then_ I told her that I loved her before I turned tail and ran, like the coward I am."

"You're wrong," came another voice suddenly. The two looked over to see Serenity walking towards them. "What you did required more courage than is needed to fight a thousand battles. The fear of rejection from someone you've come to love almost obsessively, someone who you believe would never possibly be interested in you, someone who was taboo for any of a thousand different reasons… well, admitting to Makoto that you love her took a great deal of courage."

"You say that as if you don't disapprove," said Liz.

"I don't," said Serenity honestly. "My… Makoto's happiness is of the utmost importance to me. So, whatever makes her happy is fine with me. And as for continuing the line… well, haven't you ever heard of artificial insemination? Though I don't think our primary candidate is genetically compatible with her." Serenity eyed Chris mischievously as both teens blushed at the implications.

"Flay would kill me," said Chris. Serenity chuckled.

"Well, if it came to that, there are better candidates," said Serenity mildly. "Besides, in Makoto's case, she'd be best mixed with K—do you two hear that?"

* * *

Makoto was glad that someone had seen fit to bring her laptop to her. One of its most useful features was a program for synthesizing music. Not perfect, but it would be good enough. Now that she was home, she really wanted to sing her new song, not caring whether or not anybody overheard her.

As the music began to play, Makoto began to hum along. This song… she wondered how many people would be able to understand just what it meant? Well, Hotaru would, which was just one reason Makoto was immensely glad the brunette _wasn't_ there to embarrass her.

**(A/N: yet another link so that people can actually _listen_ to the song my characters are singing: **http:// www dot youtube dot com /watch?v=d6QE4EJrIFc**)**

_Lost in the darkness  
Hoping for a sign  
Instead there's only silence  
Can't you hear my screams?_

As Makoto's voice echoed through the hangar, the redhead stared out at the stars, closing her eyes as her thoughts turned to everything that had happened.

_Never stop hoping  
Need to know where you are  
But one thing's for sure  
You're always in my heart_

This song… funny, she'd always been so embarrassed by her singing, yet this was how she chose to answer something that she'd always thought would be easy to handle.

Unnoticed by Makoto, Shizuka, watching from nearby, activated a wall panel, a few feet away, turned up the receiver, and began broadcasting it freely to all of Orb and the refugee ships.

_I'll find you somewhere  
I'll keep on trying  
Until my dying day  
I just need to know  
Whatever has happened  
The truth will free my soul_

Throughout the hangar, people paused in their work, surprised by the singing. Those that recognized the voice immediately rushed to find Makoto.

_Lost in the darkness  
Tried to find your way home  
I want to embrace you  
And never let you go_

Almost unconsciously, Makoto opened her eyes to reveal orbs that no longer remained silver and emerald, but instead flashed rapidly through countless different colors, glowing brightly. Shizuka stifled a gasp of shock.

_Almost hope you're in heaven  
So no one can hurt your soul  
Living in agony  
Cause I just do not know  
Where you are_

_What is this…?_ questioned Kira. He could feel a faint light coming from Makoto in a variety of colors, but it was quickly growing in strength. He could also feel a violet light coming from him in the back of his head, and could see a green light from Athrun, an amber light from Cagalli, and a gray-green light from Chris. His thoughts turned to his conversation with Makoto after Nicol's capture. _Is this… what she was talking about back then?_

Kira wasn't the only one able to sense this light, though the others were considerably more confused than he was. Cagalli, Athrun and Chris were all able to sense the light as well, their own and one another's.

_I'll find you somewhere  
I'll keep on trying  
Until my dying day  
I just need to know  
Whatever has happened  
The truth will free my soul_

Makoto felt the glow of the souls of her friends far more strongly than she'd ever felt it before. She still didn't feel anything from 'ordinary' people, but she could definitely feel it from them.

And it wasn't just them, either. Though her eyes were open, Makoto saw nothing, only felt the presence of more people with this glow. She could feel Zane, somewhere under water a little ways outside of Orb's territorial waters and… another glow, much, much weaker, hardly even there. She wondered what it was.

_Wherever you are  
I won't stop searching  
Whatever it takes me to know_

It wasn't even that limited, though. She could feel Hotaru's glow out in the Marshall Islands, several glows from refugee ships, a few in the Earth Forces fleet, and many, many more in places too distant for her to know where they were. Most of them were just pinpricks, but a few stood out very powerfully, including Hotaru's and another one, somewhere in the night sky, which mixed exotic green and red together in a beautiful, spiraling pattern.

_I'll find you somewhere  
I'll keep on trying  
Until my dying day  
I just need to know  
Whatever has happened  
The truth will free my soul_

As Makoto's song came to an end, she smiled, and her eyes closed. When she opened them again a moment later, both had returned to their natural, beautiful and piercing emerald green color.

* * *

Aboard the _Costeau_

Outside Orb Territorial Waters

"What is this?" whispered Flay to herself. She'd been resting since witnessing the battle earlier with the ZAFT bridge crew, Rau, that Zane guy, and that brunette, Shiho, who was the only one who seemed to treat her with any respect and kindness, though Rau was polite enough. She'd been terrified by what she'd witnessed, especially the beating the Raven received, but it was over… for now, and hopefully those powerful new machines they saw would keep Chris safe.

But now, a weird feeling had come over Flay. She wasn't sure what to make of it, and one hand subconsciously caressed her stomach, where the feeling was centered.

Out in the corridors, Zane had been overcome by a strange feeling himself, and he sensed a strange, weak light coming from the crew quarters where Rau had put that captured Earth Forces girl. He wondered just what it was about.

* * *

PLANT Aprilius One

A blonde paused in her work, setting her tools aside and rubbing her temples uncertainly.

"This feeling," she said. A light filled the back of her mind, but she couldn't make sense of it. "This is different from the usual feeling… what is it?"

Frowning, she glanced out the window of her workroom into the personal hangar of her home. A large group of mobile suits was contained in this hangar. A custom GINN High-Maneuver Type, a custom CGUE, a CGUE DEEP Arms, and then the latest prototypes, the ZGMF-X600 GuAIZ, YFX-200 GuAIZ Experimental Firearms, and, of course, the YMF-X000A Dreadnought, almost all of them machines that she had test-piloted, though the custom GINN and CGUE had been her machines during her time on the frontlines.

Shaking her head in an attempt to clear it, she looked back to what she was working on, and realized that she'd scratched out something on the table.

_DIVINITY_

* * *

Orb Hangar

"Makoto?" questioned Liz, walking over to the redhead. While most people had returned to their work, all of Makoto's friends had remained in the general area. Makoto turned to face Liz with a smile.

"Yes, Elizabeth?" she asked. Liz fidgeted slightly. Makoto had only referred to her by her full name since she'd returned. Liz was simply too happy that the girl she loved was alive to care.

"That song… it was beautiful," said Liz, almost lamely. Makoto, however, only continued to smile.

"I'm glad you like it," she said. "You know, I wrote it on the way to the PLANTs. In a strange way, Kira is the one who gave me the inspiration for it, when I knew that he was alive."

"Really?"

"Hai," said Makoto, surprising Liz and several others by her momentary switch to Japanese. "You know, I think I owe you my life. A part of me was ready to die with the loss of the Dauntless, but a lot of me knew that you'd only be hurt by it, along with many others." Liz blushed.

"I-is that so?" she stuttered. Makoto giggled slightly.

"Hai, hai," she said. "I also came back to give you an answer."

"An… an answer?" Liz began to blush more deeply. "W-what is it?"

"I think you already know that," said Makoto, smiling. "And if you don't… well, it just means you're at least as dense as your brother."

Saying that, Makoto picked up her laptop and walked away, leaving an utterly confused brunette behind.

* * *

A half hour later

"This sword's been tremendously useful," said Shizuka as data on the captured Exia Kai scrolled across the computer screens. "It explains a lot about those new machines."

"Can it explain how they lasted so long?" asked Mu. "I mean, they were clearly resistant to projectiles, with the exception of the Faith's machine cannons, so obviously they're protected by Phase Shift Armor, yet how can they last so long? That one with the cannon in the chest was firing like crazy and was still going when they retreated."

"Well, first off, they don't actually use Phase Shift Armor," said Shizuka, surprising the others, though Makoto only nodded, having seen that herself when she interfaced the Exia Kai with the Faith. "Everything we need to know about those machines we can learn from this sword. Their technology would be virtually impossible with any battery-powered machine using Phase Shift Armor. It's far too power-intensive."

"What are you talking about?" asked Athrun with a frown.

"The power output on the rifle of this sword is twice that of the original Exia's output," said Shizuka. "And the same is likely true for the bulk of the weapons used by those machines. That scythe-wielder most likely used a more advanced form of the Hellfire Blitz's beam dispersion field, densely packing and magnetically maintaining an 'armor' of Mirage Colloid particles to deflect energy beams."

"That can't be," said Johanna, shaking her head. "We considered that for the Hellfire Blitz. It was way too power intensive, remember?"

"_Everything_ about these machines is impossible with conventional Phase Shift technology," said Shizuka, sounding almost impatient. "In the strictest sense, their armor is a less power-intensive version of Phase Shift." Shizuka snorted. "In theory, it's a radical improvement. Phase Shift Armor is always active. This 'Trans-Phase' Armor is only active at the point and moment of impact, so it isn't producing a constant drain. But it's also less effective in many more situations. With Phase Shift Armor, you could actually stack enough on to resist even beam weapons. Trans-Phase Armor can't do that, because it wouldn't be able to establish the so-called 'thickness' to resist. If the machine is assaulted from multiple directions, it will take time to generate the electrons for the TP armor, leaving it vulnerable to multi-vector assaults. Furthermore, there's nothing to hold the electrons in place, so they're only good for a single projectile, as opposed to PS armor. This makes them vulnerable to sustained high-speed assaults, such as from the Faith's machine cannons. A good allegory is that PS armor would be like me holding my arms over my head to protect myself constantly from a shower of rocks, even when the shower isn't coming. TP armor, on the other hand, would be like me reaching up with a hand to catch one rock, dropping the hand as soon as I've done that, then raising it again to catch another. During the assault itself, I expend more energy than I would if I just held my arms up, but other than that, I save energy by resting my arms when I'm not being hit."

"That makes sense," said Chris. "In other words, their armor is also highly resistant to projectiles, but has weaknesses that our armor doesn't. In exchange, though, it's also far less power intensive, unless we hit it with a constant barrage, right?"

"That about sums it up," said Shizuka. "Now, for a weapon like the Exia Kai, it makes more sense, preserving power except when you're actually on the offensive. It'll have less power than a PS-reinforced blade would, but the loss would be well worth the energy gained back." Shizuka's fingers flew across the keyboard. "But the Faith runs on nuclear-power, so that isn't a concern. I'm reconfiguring the rifle to increase the output by about fifty percent and shifting the Trans-Phase Armor to Phase Shift. Any color preferences?"

"Blue," said Makoto. "Like my mother's eyes."

"It'll be metallic blue," said Shizuka after hesitating for a moment.

"That's fine," said Makoto, turning to walk away. Liz had stopped following her, for the most part, considering the redhead's earlier words.

"Oh, Makoto?" called Shizuka, causing the redhead to pause and look back. "You do realize that you're left eye is back to normal, right?"

Everyone present did a double take, realizing that Shizuka was right, and Makoto's formerly silver eye had returned to its natural emerald green color. Makoto smiled.

"Yeah, I realized," she said. "It changed back when I finished my song." With that, Makoto turned and left the largely shocked group behind.

* * *

A little while later

"She likes you," said Tolle.

"She's your girlfriend," said Dearka. "Sure, we may be kind of friendly, but she loves you."

"She loves someone who died at the Marshall Islands," said Tolle. "Even I can already tell that I'm not the same guy I used to be. And I hate the idea of her refusing you entirely just because I'm around."

"Don't you think that's her choice to make?" asked Dearka.

"It is," agreed Tolle. "But she doesn't think it's a choice at all. I was her boyfriend, I'm alive, so anything she might've started to feel for you doesn't matter. I don't think that's fair… to either of you."

"What makes you think I really care?"

"I saw the way you were watching us earlier," said Tolle simply. "You're happy for her, but there's no denying that you feel at least a little jealous too."

"Alright, I admit it, I like her," said Dearka. "But what about being fair to you? And if she doesn't want it to be a choice, why can't she have it that way?"

Tolle shrugged slightly. "I just want her to realize that she does have a choice and she shouldn't deny it over something in the past," said Tolle. "I want her to be happy, that's all."

"And if she's happy with you?" questioned Dearka. Tolle smirked slightly.

"Well, to be honest, I don't think we had a future together," he said. "I mean, I do love her and all, but I don't see the two of us having a future together."

"I'm a Coordinator and a ZAFT soldier," said Dearka. "What makes you think she could have more of a future with me?"

"I'm not saying that's the case," said Tolle. "I'm just saying that I want her to consider it. So don't stay away from her on my account, that's all, okay?"

"Fine," said Dearka. "But just so you know, I expect that she'll kill me for being an idiot first."

"Hey, I'm still alive, and you're definitely smarter than me," said Tolle cheerfully. "You and I are a lot alike, you know that?"

"Oh yeah, I've gleaned that much from the few hours we've spoken, today and back then," said Dearka. Tolle chuckled.

"It's kinda strange, isn't it?" he said. "This place, this island… this is where our two groups first met. It's where the pilots of the Gundams all first came face-to-face. And, after many more battles, after many weeks of hardship, here we all are, fighting together against a common enemy."

"I guess it is kinda strange," said Dearka. "There's significance to this place for us. Or maybe there's significance to the Dauntless Angel. It was her birthday we were celebrating, after all."

"There's significance to all of them," said Tolle, nodding in the direction of the four nuclear-powered mobile suits. "Kira, Makoto, Athrun and Erik."

"Don't know about Athrun and Erik, actually," said Dearka. "But there's definitely something special about Kira, Makoto and Chris. They stumbled into those mobile suits, reprogrammed them, and fought off pilots far more experienced, even when their machines were of equal power. Then there's Makoto's eye. At the ambush just before your rendezvous with the 8th Fleet, we realized that Kira was no ordinary pilot."

"Guess Chris has gotten the short end of the stick in that area," said Tolle. "Kira and Makoto were even able to consistently win against the rest of you, but Chris always had trouble with that CGUE."

"Scirocco's a nasty piece of work," agreed Dearka. "He's not in Athrun's class, but he's definitely in Erik's class."

"Except that time in the Marshall Islands," said Tolle. Dearka shrugged.

"Yeah, except then," he agreed. "But really, no one knows _what_ was really up with him then. I mean, sure, all of us fought like we were possessed, but the difference was most notable with him. It's amazing that Makoto was able to destroy the Resolute without hurting him."

"Well, she's always been strange like that," said Tolle, standing up straight. "I think I'll get to work on the Athena. Who knows how long until he next attack, and I'm not as good as the rest of you are."

"Keep working at it Tolle," encouraged Dearka with a smile. "Keep working at it, and soon enough you'll be an ace too."

"Thanks," said Tolle. "I'll keep that in mind and try not to let it go to my head."

"Yeah, letting things go to your head is the most frequent cause of mine and Yzak's numerous near-death incidents!" responded Dearka, smiling ruefully.

* * *

The _Powell_

The Next Morning

"We've increased the Gamma Glipheptin by ten units," the doctor coldly explained to them as they writhed on the ground in pain. "It should work for at least two hours. If you don't want to feel that kind of pain again, then you better improve your performance."

Clotho, Roslyn, Orga, Shani, and Louisa grabbed the vials they were given and greedily drank the drug. In a matter of seconds, the drug flooded their systems, bringing sweet relief from the pain. Their pain-induced spasms subsided as their cries of pain turned to labored, heavy gasps for air.

"Thank you… for stopping the pain…" said Clotho weakly.

Of course, none of them felt any shred of gratitude towards the doctors who administered the drugs. They hated them and desired to inflict pain, the same pain they felt, on them. But they couldn't. They needed the drugs the doctors had to survive. Whether it was the Gamma Glipheptin or the other medicine that made going through withdrawal bearable.

"Now get going," ordered the doctor.

The five pilots left the room, heading for the hanger. There was no need for them to change as they hadn't changed out of their pilot suits. All they needed was to get their helmets, which were still in the hanger. In the hangar, they found Christian waiting for them, and all five concealed hateful glares for the Blue Cosmos 'hero'.

As they began to climb into their machines, Shani hesitated for a moment, glancing with something that might've been concern at Louisa.

He knew that, once in the field, she would forget all about her hatred for the people on this ship, and would only care about gleefully wreaking more destruction. They all enjoyed it, of course, but to Louisa, it was nothing more than a game. With the exception of the pilot of that machine that destroyed the Relentless, she actually thought of the people she killed as playmates. Of all of them, she was the most far-gone.

Well, it wasn't a surprise—she was an enhancement level 6 biological CPU. She was the only person ever to survive past level 4 enhancement, something that had been reserved for those who had openly defied Blue Cosmos.

Despite being level 4 enhancement himself, Shani was perhaps the one who held the most grasp on his former identity, and recognized most of all what had happened to all of them.

Of course, he was also probably the most insane of them after Louisa, due to the enhancements. Christian didn't count, since the man was mad with Blue Cosmos fanaticism long before he became a biological CPU.

A few minutes later, their machines were almost finished powering up. If they couldn't take their anger out on the doctors or Azrael for letting them suffer through the night, then they were gonna take their anger out on something else. Those mobile suits they fought the day before. In their minds, it was because of them that they suffered.

"Those funny machines…" said Shani with a scowl.

"Let's rip them apart," growled Christian.

"Yeah. They're gonna pay," added Clotho.

"That's a promise," said Orga, agreeing with his teammates.

"The dance of death," said Louisa childishly, clearly already in her 'combat mode'. "It'll be so much fun."

"Stop talking," growled Roslyn. "It's time for payback."

Today was going to be about revenge.

* * *

Orb Hangar

"Kira!" called Athrun as Kira readied to enter the Freedom's cockpit.

"Athrun," acknowledged Kira as his friend ran up to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"From the looks of things, there's no way Orb can win this fight," said Athrun. "You know that, don't you?"

Kira smiled slightly. "Yeah," he said. "I think we all realize that. But just because the odds are against us doesn't mean we should give up fighting and let them do whatever they want to us, now does it?"

"Kira…"

"The important thing is to know what we're fighting for," said Kira. "That's why I'm going out there." Kira proceeded towards the Freedom. "Of course, I'd rather not fight if I can help it. But… there are some things you can't protect without fighting. I'm sorry Athrun. And thank you. I'm glad I had this chance to talk with you."

"Kira…" said Athrun as the Freedom came to life. Next to it, both the Conviction and the Faith likewise came to life, surprising Athrun.

"Erik already made his choice, though it wasn't nearly as tough for him," came Dearka's voice suddenly as the three nuclear-powered mobile suits made their way out of the hangar. "Your orders are to take that thing back, right?" Dearka sighed. "It's not gonna go over very well. We're ZAFT soldiers, if we keep intervening like this…" Dearka stopped there, eyeing Athrun.

"I don't want him too…" said Athrun. "I don't want any of them to die!"

Dearka smirked and walked up to Athrun. "Now that is amazing," he said. "For the first time, we agree on something. And we're not the only ones."

"Huh?" Athrun glanced around and realized that the Hellfire Blitz, the Duel and the Surge were no longer in the hangar. Nicol, Yzak and Saul had gone to fight for Orb.

* * *

The Earth Forces renewed their attack, launching countless Strike Daggers and Spearhead fighters. But the surviving Orb defenders fought like they were possessed. The Talos fired into the air, hitting Daggers and Spearheads every time.

Elsewhere, an Astray and Dagger dueled when a second Dagger moved into the attack the Astray from behind. Suddenly, the Hellfire Blitz appeared, opening the claws of its shield and firing the weapon at the mobile suit, the built-in beam blade piercing the suit's power plant, causing it to explode as Nicol recalled the Akurei Tsume. At the same time, the Astray overpowered the Dagger and sliced it in two.

"_Thanks,_" said Juri.

"Don't mention it," replied Nicol.

Nearby, the Surge fired off its claw, which tore through a Dagger while he gunned down another one with his rifle. Three more Daggers fired at him. The Surge leapt out of the way, firing its rifle at them. The shots found their marks, destroying the Daggers.

Yzak, meanwhile, had momentarily discarded the Duel's shield in favor of fighting with both beam sabers simultaneously, swiftly cutting apart Strike Dagger after Strike Dagger.

"Ha, you poor pathetic bastards could never compare to Kira," said Yzak. "If I can live through him so many times… there's no way you could ever hope to touch me!"

Overhead, the Freedom, Conviction, Faith, Raven and Guardian unleashed an incredible aerial assault. The Faith's wings emitted massive pulses of light as it flew over Strike Daggers at incredible speeds, the Penna machine cannons built for this purpose shredding dozens of enemy machines. The Freedom entered Full Burst Mode and began stripping Daggers of their weapons, limbs and heads. The Conviction let loose with its own Full Burst barrage, obliterating dozens of machines outright. The Raven and Guardian let loose with machineguns and grenade launchers, destroying even more Daggers outright.

An Orb battleship suddenly exploded. From the fire and smoke, the Forbidden emerged. The Deliverance appeared, firing its replaced beam gatlings at another Orb vessel, piercing its hull at the water level. Then the Calamity and the Raider joined in, their combined firepower sinking two more Orb warships. The Supremacy opened up with the Agni, sinking another Orb vessel, while the Twilight fired its Drache Schild into the bridge of two more ships, sunk another with its Skorpion cannons, sunk a fourth ship with its Vertilgung railguns, and blew holes at the water level in a fifth ship with its missiles.

"Damn it! Where are they?!" shouted Clotho. "Where are those bastards from yesterday?!!"

"_It looks like those guys from yesterday are back,_" said Chris as he stared out at the harbor where they were fighting. "_This is gonna be trouble._"

"Are you sure you be able to fight them with us?" asked Kira, concerned for his friend.

"_Hey! The Raven may not be as new and as powerful as your machines or theirs but we can still kick ass together!_" Chris shot back in an annoyed tone.

"_And I'm not leaving either,_" said Liz.

"_Just don't lose to that copycat again Chris,_" said Erik mirthfully. "_I don't want to make saving your ass into a habit._"

"_Hey!_"

Liz could be heard giggling slightly over the radio at her brother's expense.

"_This is no time for joking around,_" said Makoto. "_Those pilots aren't ordinary, and the machines are tough._"

"_Ah, I missed that commanding tone of voice,_" said Chris nostalgically. Behind them, the Justice flew up into formation, while the Buster arrived to support the_ Archangel_.

"_I'm just glad I'm not in the commander's position anymore,_" said Athrun. "_Regardless of that being the Justice's role. Now let's kick ass!_"

"There they are!" shouted Orga.

All six Earth Forces mobile suits raced towards the six defenders. It was time for payback.

"I know you're probably not gonna listen to me, but everyone, leave the silver one to Louisa," said Roslyn, despite how much she wanted to avenge Kazuo personally.

"_Oh? I thought you'd to play with that one yourself,_" said Louisa, obviously surprised.

"I'm not stupid enough to get between you and your 'playmates'," said Roslyn. Louisa giggled happily.

"_Thank you! Let's play!_"

* * *

The Athena's heavy swords sliced through a trio of Strike Daggers as Mu gunned down two more. But more Strike Daggers appeared, pressing the attack.

"_Man… This is getting crazy,_" said Tolle, firing his shield-mounted pulse beam rifle at the advancing Daggers. "_No matter how many we destroy, more just keep on coming. Is the entire Earth Alliance military attacking Orb or something?_"

"I doubt it," replied Mu as he and a group of Astrays fired at the Daggers as well. "If the entire military was brought against Orb, we would have been finished after a few hours yesterday."

At that moment, a barrage of missiles and beams tore through the Daggers.

"_Numbers won't help you out here!_" shouted Dearka as he, Yzak, Nicol and Saul fired into the group.

"_Yeah! Quality trumps quantity!_" added Saul.

* * *

"Damn you copycat! Just die already!" shouted Clotho, firing at the Raven.

Chris dove dodging the shots. "Come on copycat, is that the best you can do?" he taunted, racing away from the Raider.

"Get back here you bastard!" roared Clotho, chasing after the Raven.

_It'll be tough, but if I can just get this guy to use up enough power, I can beat him_, thought Chris as he dodged shots from Raider.

Elsewhere, Kira exchanged fire with the Supremacy, the two machines blocking or dodging one another's shots in an incredible display of piloting ability. Suddenly, the Supremacy grabbed its Midas Messer and tossed it at him. Kira, familiar with the abilities and usefulness of the beam boomerang—despite the belief of many that the weapon was worthless—didn't dodge, but instead fired on the boomerang with his Xiphias railguns, destroying it as he switched to HiMAT mode and danced away from the swings of the Supremacy's Schwert Gewehr.

Nearby, the Deliverance and the Justice were going at it. Christian was firing wildly, but made up for his lack of aim with pure firepower and evasive ability, the same evasiveness that had been key to the Bloody Valentine. Athrun was struggling just to avoid the machine's firepower. He had to try something to disrupt the Deliverance. He grabbed one of the Justice's beam boomerangs and threw it near the black Gundam. Christian didn't even pause as the boomerang flew past him. He did stop however, when the boomerang came back, heading straight for him. The Deliverance sidestepped the weapon, giving Athrun an opening. He caught the boomerang and charged forward, using it as a beam knife. The Deliverance's right arm shot up on reflex, trying to block the beam. The boomerang's blade sliced through the twin barrels of his right gatling gun, rendering it useless. Christian let out an angry growl.

"I'm gonna tear you apart!" he shouted.

He drew a beam saber and swung it at the Justice. Athrun barely managed to parry the swing with his boomerang. He quickly kicked the Deliverance, knocking it back and allowing him to switch to his own beam saber. Both swung, locking their blades in a contest of strength.

"Die! Die! Die!" repeated Christian over and over as he tried to overpower the Justice.

But in the end, the Justice started to over power the Deliverance. Suddenly, the Deliverance's chest plate opened. "DIE!!!" roared Christian, firing the Reavers.

Athrun, caught off guard, broke from the contest as bullets impacted the Justice. They had little effect on the Justice, but they had achieved the desired result. Christian lunged forward, swinging his saber again. Athrun pulled up his shield, blocking the strike.

Below, the Guardian in MA form exchanged fire with the Calamity, Liz focusing on preserving power by using her grenades rather than her impulse rifle and beam guns, while Orga let loose with everything he had, frustrated by his inability to hit the fighter-like mobile armor as it sped through the air. Liz suddenly flew down, and then surged towards the Calamity a mere four meters above the ground, shocking Orga. The Calamity opened up with all of its weapons, but Liz transformed the Guardian to mobile suit mode, deflecting the Scylla blast with her shield, leaping over the Todesblock bazooka round and the Schlag beam cannon blast, and allowing her armor to absorb the impact of the Kaefer Zwei as she drew a beam saber and swung it at the Calamity, Orga barely dodging back far enough to deflect the saber with his shield.

The Forbidden's Hresvelgr plasma induction cannon and Eckzahn railguns fired repeatedly at the Conviction, but Erik was having an easy enough time dealing with all of his opponent's weapons, countering as the situation called for it, though he particularly enjoyed knocking the scythe-wielder out of the sky with the Praemium. Unlike every other weapon he had, the beam bazooka wasn't deflected by the Forbidden's shields. Of course, this made the two ideal opponents on both sides, as the Forbidden was the only one that could take the Conviction's firepower, while the Conviction was the only one with a powerful enough weapon to at least partially bypass the Forbidden's shields.

Well, the Faith would be more suited to dealing with the Forbidden, but Makoto was busy with her own problems.

"Hahahaha! Come on, dance with me!" said Louisa, her tone that of both a playful child and a sadistic monster.

The Twilight closed rapidly with the Faith, its beam staff crashing against the Faith's Exia Kai II. The Skorpion beam cannons flipped over the Twilight's head, but the Faith opened its Penna machine cannons and let loose, knocking the stinger tail out of alignment as it fired. Suddenly, the flamethrowers of the Twilight's Drache Schild activated, the Faith tilting aside to avoid the two streams of flame before the machines pushed away from each other. The Twilight again began flying erratically, scattering Mirage Colloid particles and distorting the air around the two close-combat suits.

Laughing, Louisa fired her Vertilgung and missiles on the Faith. Makoto, spreading her machine's wings, evaded and returned fire with the Exia and hip-mounted Partis railguns. Louisa likewise dodged the counterattack, and fired one of the Drache Schild at the Faith. Makoto retaliated by swinging and wrapping the Extraxi around the claw-weapon as the claw grabbed hold of the heat rod, and both teenagers engaged the electrical discharge function in their weapons, creating a massive electrical surge as the two, still linked by the two extendable weapons, began firing on each other once more.

* * *

The battle raged on across Orb. While the Orb defenders fought valiantly, chipping away at the might of the Earth Forces, they couldn't stand against the numbers of the Earth Alliance forever. Sooner or later, Orb would fall. Lords Uzumi and Misuumi, Lady Serenity and General Dante grimly watched the battle play out in the command room when an officer approached. "Lord Uzumi, Lady Serenity, Lord Misuumi, General Dante, preparations are complete."

The three nobles and the military officer nodded.

"Inform our forces, we're abandoning Onogoro," ordered Uzumi. "We're regrouping at Kaguya."

* * *

Chris grimaced as his power meter reached the danger levels. He wouldn't be able to last much longer, and his black double seemed to be able to continue going on for a while yet. Even with the Trans-Phase Armor, he'd expected the wildly firing pilot to be running low by now. Obviously, he'd underestimated just how power-intensive Phase Shift Armor could be.

But he wasn't the only one running low on power. Orga also noticed that his machine was starting to run low. He went to fire the Calamity's Schlag cannons on the ever-evasive Guardian, but nothing happened. It was then he saw the flashing alarms showing that the energy supply was running dangerously low.

"Damn! You stupid mobile suit!" he cursed. "How can you be out of power already?!"

"_It's cause you're firing all over the place dumbass,_" jeered Clotho.

"Shut up!" Orga shouted back.

"_If you're leaving, then go,_" said Clotho smugly as chased after the Raven. "_But you're on your own._"

But that momentary distraction was all Chris needed. He drew a beam saber and turned around. Clotho narrowly managed to back away from the descending saber. But in the process, Chris's saber sliced through the Raider's spherical breaker, destroying it. Clotho transformed the Raider and fled from the Raven, unaware that it's saber and armor deactivated.

"Hey! You're the dumbass!" Orga called out.

Before Clotho could respond, the Calamity jumped onto the back of the Raider.

"_Who the hell said you could get on, freeloader?!_" demanded Clotho.

"Shut your mouth! We're returning to recharge," said Orga. "Don't tell me you're not running on empty as well."

Clotho gritted his teeth and finally steered his mobile suit back towards the carrier, carrying Orga. Erik fired his Vitiosus-mounted cannons at the Forbidden, which raised its deflector shields again. But this time, the shots hit the shields instead of being deflected.

"No more?" said Shani as his power meter read low power.

Christian roared, firing his gatling guns and missile launchers at the Justice. Athrun pulled the Justice up, evading the bulk of the fire and destroying the remaining missiles with his Sagittus CIWS. Suddenly, the Deliverance's guns stopped.

"Fire! Fire!" shouted Christian as the low power alarms went off in his cockpit, even the Fenrir's spare batteries obviously drained. "GAAAAAAH!"

Not even caring about the moment of vulnerability, Christian fired his solid-projectile weapons, but the Deliverance quickly cut power to everything but the missiles to preserve power for a retreat and the Justice dealt with the assault easily. Growling in frustration, Christian realized there was nothing more he could do.

Both pilots, seeing no other choice, followed their teammates, heading for the _Powell_.

The Supremacy swung its Schwert Gewehr down on the Freedom, Kira deflecting with his shield. He then combined the Lacerta saber he was already holding with the other one mounted on his machine's hip and, using the shield to block Roslyn's line of sight, swung the front end of the beam staff. Roslyn evaded this, but failed to realize the sabers had been combined into a staff, and the second end cut through the Schwert Gewehr. Kira unfolded the Freedom's railguns and opened up on the Supremacy, draining the remaining power under the repeated barrage.

Teeth grit in frustration, Roslyn followed her retreating teammates.

Beam sword met beam staff as the still connected Faith and Twilight struggled for dominance. Makoto activated the Faith's burst thrusters suddenly, forcing the Twilight back, then backed away unexpectedly. The Faith released its beam sword and grabbed one of its Ensis Phase Shift long blades, activating the PS-blade and throwing it like a spear, tearing into the extension of the Drache Schild, freeing the two suits from each other.

Burst thrusters still activated, Makoto flew around to retrieve the sword, and drew one of her Panthera to meet another crash from the Twilight's beam staff.

Louisa glanced around, realizing that her teammates were in full retreat. She was now outnumbered six-to-one.

"Ah, this is no fun, they won't let you play with me by yourself," said Louisa, pouting as she broke away. "And Twilight's batteries are running out." Activating her radio, Louisa couldn't help but send a message to that pilot. "I'll be back. You're fun. I love you!"

Louisa giggled as she shut the radio off. It was true! She felt like she was in love!

Of course, for someone with Louisa's present state of mind, the only way to interact with those you loved was to murder them.

"_Wha-what the hell was that?!_" demanded Liz hotly as they watched the six machines retreat.

"I told you something's wrong with those pilots," said Makoto. "Am I the only one who thought that pilot sounded more like a child than a soldier?"

"_No,_" said Chris. "_I think we all noticed that._"

* * *

Mass Driver Control Room

Kaguya

A Short While Later

"Leave Orb?" asked Murrue. "You're telling us to just run away?"

"I'm sure that you've realized that Orb has already lost," replied Uzumi grimly. "It's only a matter of time before it completely falls."

"What are you saying, father?" asked Cagalli.

Uzumi turned to her. "The citizens have all been evacuated and they'll be taken care of elsewhere," he said. "From here on, we will be the ones to take care of the responsibilities." He turned to the rest of the group and continued. "The Earth Forces present actions are being guided by the leader of Blue Cosmos, Muruta Azrael. To make matters worse, the PLANTs are led by someone who believes Coordinators are a new species, for Patrick Zala rules them now. The way things are developing, the world will soon be trapped between two forces that refuse to accept each other's existence. Is this the future you want to see? If you desire a different world, take this small light of hope we've kindled and use it to set a course for a new future. It means a hard road again, but I'm sure you understand why it's necessary, Murrue Ramius."

Murrue nodded. "That light may be small, but it burns brightly," she said. "We believe in it as well."

"Then I suggest that you get ready."

Murrue and the rest of the _Archangel_'s bridge crew left the room, returning to the _Archangel_. Samuel turned from the screen he was staring at to the gathered mobile suit pilots. "I suggest you all quickly decide whether you're going with them or not before it's too late."

As the pilots left, Denisov stepped forward. "Lord Uzumi, Lady Serenity, General Dante," he said, nodding to each of them. "I believe I know what you're planning. Please, allow me and my men to stand guard over the gateway to space."

The three glanced at each other uncertainly, but realized that Denisov and his men would stand by that decision.

"Very well," said Serenity. "Good luck out there, Captain Petr Denisov, Sentinel of Russia."

Denisov smiled nostalgically at the use of his old nickname, one he'd earned for his years protecting Eurasia.

"It's _Sentinels_ of Kaguya now, Lady Serenity," he said. "Me _and _my men."

* * *

A Short While Later

Kira, Makoto, Athrun, Chris, Liz, Erik, Yzak Dearka, Saul and Nicol all stood outside the Mass Driver with their mobile suits. The ZAFT pilots, with the exception of Erik, were trying to decide what they were going to do next while Kira, Chris, Makoto, Liz and Erik waited to board the _Archangel_.

"You know, there is still a chance that Carpentaria will welcome us back," suggested Dearka. "After all, we have been fighting the Earth Forces all this time." Of course, he was partially motivated by a desire to make sure he didn't get between Tolle and Mir, remembering the other boys words from earlier.

Saul snorted. "Bah! We'll probably be label as deserters at best and traitors at worst," he said. "I have to admit, it felt good fighting because I wanted to rather than because I was ordered to."

"Then what are you suggesting?" asked Yzak.

"Well, maybe we should stay with the _Archangel_ and fight with them," said Nicol, Saul nodding in agreement.

Athrun absently listened to the discussion. His mind focused on his encounter with Lacus. "She called me a soldier of ZAFT," He said, interrupting the conversation. "She knew all along what I had become. Since this war started, I thought you just had to follow the orders of your nation no matter what and defeat the enemy to bring a quick end to the war. But now… now I'm just not sure anymore. What is it that we should really be fighting against?"

"Come with us, Athrun," said Kira. "We'll try to find the answers together."

Athrun smiled and looked back at the line of M1s that were boarding the _Kusanagi_. He knew Kira had a valid point. Maybe together, they could find what they should really be fighting against and bring this war to an end.

"Let's go," said Yzak, surprising them as he faced the _Archangel_. "For true Freedom and Justice. Not for glory, not for vengeance and not for greed. But so that no one else should ever have to face the hardships we have."

"With the Conviction to do what we must and the Faith in ourselves, our friends and humanity that together we can build a better tomorrow," added Makoto, looking to Kaguya. "Let us now step through the gateway to heaven and finish this battle amidst the stars mankind has so longed to touch."

* * *

The _Powell_

"They're gathering at Kaguya?" questioned Azrael.

"Yes, it looks like they're getting ready to make their last stand," answered Oswald.

Azrael smirked. "Attha is still insisting to drag this out to the bitter end," he said arrogantly. "Actually I find this quite amusing. It'll be more satisfying when we crush them all into the dust."

"Director," said an officer. "The machines have been resupplied and are ready. Shall I give the order to launch?"

"Of course, you dolt!" barked Azrael. "Send them out immediately!"

Moments later, he watched as the Raider, the Forbidden, the Calamity, the Deliverance, the Supremacy and the Twilight took off.

* * *

Mass Driver Control Room

"Sir! Incoming mobile suits! It's those six prototypes! The fleet is also moving towards Kaguya!"

Samuel swore. The _Archangel_'s launch was about to begin. They couldn't let those six or the fleet interfere. There was only one thing they could to buy time.

"Remaining Orb forces," he said over the comm. "This is General Dante. Those six new Earth Forces machines are heading for the Mass Driver, with the fleet right behind them. You must stop them for as long as you can so we can launch the _Archangel_ and the _Kusanagi_. But don't be heroes. Just buy us some time."

"_No, General,_" said Denisov, appearing on the screen. "_Get the remaining Orb forces out of here. We'll delay the fleet. The Angels and Knights can keep those other machines at bay._"

Samuel hesitated, but realized he had no real choice once again. "Very well then," he said. "All Orb ships, retreat to a safe distance. Send all your mobile suits to support the _Anastasia_ and her forces, and be ready to get the survivors out of there."

He closed the comm. line and saluted the men and women under Denisov's command, knowing they'd just chosen to walk right to their deaths. Though the _Anastasia_ and her four companions hadn't taken a single hit in the battles with the Earth Forces thus far, they'd soon be crushed under the titanic might of the entire Earth Forces fleet.

"Initiate the final launch sequence! Get the _Archangel_ into space now!!"

* * *

"It's those six again," said Kira as the Freedom and the other mobile suits powered up. "We'll cover your launch, _Archangel_."

"Dearka, Nicol, Saul, Yzak, return to the _Archangel_. Your machines aren't equipped for an aerial battle," ordered Athrun.

"_Fine,_" grumbled Yzak as the four of them headed for the _Archangel_. "_But you guys better watch your backs out there._"

"_We will,_" said Athrun.

"Chris, Elizabeth, you guys board the _Archangel_ as well," added Makoto. "We'll have to taxi out with the _Kusanagi_, your machines don't have the power to keep up with something being accelerated on a Mass Driver.

"_Right. Just make sure you guys catch the last bus out of here,_" said Chris, joining the others heading for the _Archangel_.

"Don't worry. We will," replied Kira as they headed towards the incoming mobile suits.

"_You better not mess this up Makoto,_" said Liz as she followed her brother. "_I still haven't gotten your answer._"

"You have," said Makoto softly. "You just haven't realized it yet."

Once the last of the mobile suits boarded the _Archangel _and were secured in its hanger, the ship started its launch. Once it was up in the air, the _Archangel_ fired its Lohengrin cannons, creating a Positronic Interference Effect as it activated the additional boosters from the _Kusanagi_ that had been mounted on the ship, propelling the white warship into the atmosphere.

Seeing this, Orga aimed the Schlag towards the ascending warship, but Clotho was forced to dodge fire from below, causing Orga to miss as the Freedom, Faith, Justice and Conviction closed in on the six Earth Forces Gundams.

Inside the control room, Uzumi, Serenity, Misuumi and Samuel watched the _Archangel_ head into space. Next to them was Cagalli, pleading with her father.

"Father, please!" she begged. "There's no reason for you to stay here! We can escape together!"

Uzumi turned to his daughter. She was wrong. There was one final thing for him to do.

"What are you still doing here, Cagalli?!" he said, grabbing her arm and starting to drag her away from the control room. Serenity, Misuumi and Samuel followed them. "We have our responsibilities, as you have yours! All will be lost if no one is left to carry out our hopes!"

* * *

The Forbidden's plasma induction cannon fired on the Justice, the curving beam narrowly grazing the red mobile suit, Athrun only preventing any damage through his use of the Justice's shield. He took aim with the Lupus rifle and returned fire, only for the beam to be deflected by the Forbidden's shields.

The Raider, Calamity atop its back, flew for the Freedom, both machines opening up with their full arsenals on the white Gundam. Kira dodged or deflected the beams, allowing a few of the weaker projectiles to be absorbed by his Phase Shift Armor, and returned fire with his full arsenal, forcing his opponents to momentarily pull back.

Hovering along the water at high speed, the Deliverance fired upwards with everything it had at the Conviction, forcing Erik to alternately dodge or shoot down the incoming fire while dueling the Supremacy's Schwert Gewehr with the large beam sabers produced by the cannons of the Vitiosus. The Inflatus beam cannons opened fire, forcing the Supremacy back.

The Twilight's beam staff met the Faith's hyper beam sabers, double weapon against double swords, reckless abandon against refined grace as the two pilots fought a dance of swords and death in the airspace of the Mass Driver.

* * *

"_The _Kusanagi_ has been fully loaded and all components are configured for launch,_" called one of the members of the government over the intercom. The facility shook as the battle outside drew closer. At last, the Orb nobles and Samuel reached the ship as Kisaka waved to them.

"Lord Uzumi! Lady Serenity! Lord Misuumi! General Dante! Cagalli! Hurry!" he called out.

Uzumi shoved Cagalli towards Kisaka, but remained on the platform. "Hurry, Kisaka. And please take care of my foolish daughter."

"No father!" pleaded Cagalli, her eyes watering.

Uzumi looked to her and his hardened expression became softer. He wiped tears that dripped from her eyes.

"Stop giving me that look. It doesn't suit the daughter of the Lion of Orb," he said, comforting her. "You may be losing your father, but you won't be alone." He then handed her photo of a young woman cradling two newborns in her arms. "You'll be with your brother."

Cagalli was shocked by what he had just said and looked on the back of the photo. In the lower corner, two names were scribbled on the photo. '_Kira_' and '_Cagalli_'. She gasped, overwhelmed by this sudden revelation. She looked up at her father, who nodded, confirming the truth of the matter.

* * *

The Freedom flew backwards, Lupus rifle blazing as the Raider and Calamity fired barrage after barrage in a furious attempt to defeat the Freedom, Kira spinning end over end to dodge the attacks without throwing his own aim far off.

* * *

Uzumi turned to Samuel. "You as well Samuel," he said to the aging general.

Samuel was visibly stunned by this request. "But–"

"Go," said Uzumi. "My daughter will need someone to help her and guide her in the years to come."

Samuel sighed and nodded. "It has been a privilege and an honor," he said as they shook hands for the last time.

"Indeed it has," said Uzumi. "For the both of us."

Samuel turned around and boarded the _Kusanagi _as well.

Misuumi faced Serenity and kissed her. "I love you Serenity," he said. "Now go. This time, I'll shoulder the burden." There were tears in Serenity's eyes.

"Misuumi…" she whispered. Misuumi, face softer than it had been in seventeen years, grabbed her and pushed her aboard the _Kusanagi_.

"You cannot abandon her as well," said Misuumi sternly. "She's already awakened Divinity. You must be the one to tell her the truth."

* * *

A Drache Schild shot towards the Faith, which fired on the claw with its Penna cannons, creating an explosion. The persistent extending claw didn't waver in its attempt to catch hold of the Faith, and Makoto flew forward, stabbing both Panthera into the underbelly of the claw-shield, breaking away as the weapon exploded.

* * *

Serenity looked away, shame apparent in her entire posture. "I understand," she said. "I love you, Misuumi."

After watching this, Uzumi turned to his daughter for the last time and smiled. "I feel very fortunate to have been your father."

At that moment, the hull door was sealed shut, separating them, and the catwalk pulled away.

"Fly Kisaka!" called Uzumi. "I'm counting on you!"

The _Kusanagi_'s bridge crew performed the final systems check, as did those in the Mass Driver Control Room. Everything was ready to go.

"Departure of all personnel except those in Division C is confirmed."

"All systems are a go."

"Launch the _Kusanagi_," ordered Uzumi as he reached the control room, Misuumi at his side.

"May the blessings of Haumea be with you," said Misuumi softly, watching the screens displaying the _Kusanagi_ and the Faith. "And may the Goddess watch over you."

The Mass Driver activated as the _Kusanagi_'s engines ignited. The vessel started to slide across the Driver ramp, slow at first, but steadily gaining speed as it went.

"What do we have here?" questioned Orga smugly as the six Extended pilots caught sight of the _Kusanagi_ moving along the Mass Driver.

"Athrun, Makoto, Erik!" called Kira.

"_Already on it,_" said Erik. The Conviction let loose a massive barrage with all of its weapons, driving the Supremacy and Deliverance back. Erik spun around, attached the Praemium to the Conviction's back between the two halves of the backpack and the Vitiosus to the hip, and punched his thrusters to maximum aiming to intercept the _Kusanagi_. He reached out as the ship began to shoot past him, grabbing hold of its side, then turned around to face his companions.

The Calamity, the Deliverance, the Supremacy, the Forbidden and the Raider were all now chasing after the Freedom and Justice, but the high-speeds and distance made a hit virtually impossible. As the Freedom approached the _Kusanagi_ and reached out, the Conviction's hand shot out, grabbing the Freedom's and pulling the white mobile suit in. Kira turned around to face Athrun, who was struggling to reach the ship. Kira extended the Freedom's hand to the Justice, the two barely managing to grab hold, and Kira pulled the Justice forward onto the _Kusanagi_.

"Makoto!" called Erik. The Faith was still viciously engaging the Twilight.

_I can't…_ thought Makoto as she broke away from the Twilight. "I can't die here!"

The Faith's wings spread to their full breadth, and the pulses of light it emitted were far larger than ever before, giving the silver Gundam the appearance of having massive wings of light.

Then, the Faith surged forward at impossible speeds, afterimages trailing in its wake.

In what seemed only an instant, the Faith was in front of the _Kusanagi_, and landed on it just ahead of the Conviction, its wings powering down.

Within the Faith, Makoto coughed blood, and a small trickle of blood ran down her face. But the redhead ignored all this, taking a single quick glance at her friends' mobile suits.

With a slight nod between them, the pilots all readied their next action.

The Freedom's Balaena plasma beam cannons flipped out of the wings and mounted over the shoulders as its railgun unfolded from the hips.

The Justice's Fatum-00 backpack rose up, putting the Fortis beam cannons into attack position over the shoulders.

The Faith's own railguns unfolded from the hips, taking aim.

The Conviction's backpack-mounted turrets swiveled forward, its Terminus multi-phase beam cannon began to glow, and its Inflatus shoulder-mounted beam cannons took aim.

All at once, the four mobile suits let loose a massive barrage on the water, creating an enormous geyser in the path of their enemies, stopping them momentarily.

In that moment, the _Kusanagi_ cleared the ramp, rocketing into the heavens.

* * *

Mass Driver Control Room

Lord Uzumi, Lord Misuumi and most of Orb's government were gathered, watching the _Kusanagi_ fly into space with the Freedom, Justice, Conviction and Faith.

"The seed has flown. We've succeeded," said Uzumi as his hand reached for a single, large red button on the console, his expression hardening. "We can't leave Orb, or this world, in the hands of those bastards."

His finger pushed the button…

The bombs that had been planted went off. A massive fireball consumed Morgenroete as explosions traveled along Orb's Mass Diver, destroying both and robbing the Alliance of its sole reasons for invading Orb. Aboard the _Powell_, Azrael watched in horror as everything they had worked for went up in flames. Those damn biological CPUs had completely failed him! He'd make sure the doctors held off giving them their medicine for half a day at least, as punishment for their failure. He slammed his fists into the armrests of his chair.

"Damn you Uzumi Nara Athha!" he screamed.

Aboard the smoking wreck of the _Anastasia_, a mortally wounded and bleeding Denisov watched the launch of the _Kusanagi_ with a smile.

"You lose… Azrael," he whispered before slumping down dead.

At that instant, under the angry command of Azrael, the Earth Forces fleet fired a massive barrage that finished off the five Eurasian vessels.

Aboard the _Kusanagi_, Cagalli cried out for her father as the fireball consumed the entire Mass Driver facility.

* * *

**Author's Note: And there we have it. The _Archangel_, her crew and pilots, and the former members of the Le Creuset Team have finally returned to space. We see here that the Faith's speed truly is unparalleled, and of course, the same can be said about the Conviction's firepower. There's a lot of talk going on, including interaction between Tolle and Dearka, which I rather enjoyed, as well as Liz _finally_ talking to someone about her confession to Makoto. I also wonder what Serenity was about to say when she heard Makoto singing.**

**Speaking of singing, what happened there had very little to do with the song. It was more a matter of Makoto's state of mind. I've already made it readily apparent that there is something special about Makoto in relation to the SEED, but I haven't revealed what it is. However, it's clearly strong enough for her to sense SEED bearers even out in space, and to allow others to sense the SEED as she normally can, albeit briefly. There's also _that_ word again. Divinity. On several occasions. But it seems like we might finally be approaching the chance to learn what Divinity really is. Of course, _I _think it's obvious, but maybe it isn't so obvious. Whatever it is, it's clearly linked with these strange SEED-related abilities of Makoto's, which is probably also the cause of the silver eye. It might seem powerful to some, but all these things have a strange way of balancing out. Makoto won't be displaying abilities like this much at all. There will be only one more instance where she displays a truly "abnormal" power in this story. While the sequels might feature more such displays, those will never be in mobile suit combat.**

**I will, however, provide you with one quick hint: the phrase "eyes are a window to a person's soul".  
**

**Alright, that's enough for now. I think I'll let you all stew on that for awhile. I'm sure I've given plenty of food for thought, and I now need a break from all this. While I did take my sweet time, strictly speaking, writing the last two chapters, it's still rather exhausting, all things considered. Even the previous chapter was longer than Akatsuki Leader13's chapter "Into the Dawn Sky", which is analogous to this chapter _and_ the last one.**

**Alright, time to crash. I hope I'll have the energy to continue this story soon, but I make no promises.**

**And yes, I always planned to have Denisov die at Orb. Honestly, I'd originally hoped to give him a slightly larger role in the chapters he appeared in, but just the conversations he got to have with Kira and Makoto, I think, were enough to justify a character like him. He was definitely a likable guy, and it's a shame to see him die so soon.  
**

**Anyways, everyone, please leave a review! Ja ne!  
**


	29. Phase 28: Lacus Strikes

**Well, here we are. After half a week to recover, I have the next chapter ready. This is a composite of the next two chapters from _Gundam SEED: A Retelling_, encompassing both episode 41 and 42. For the most part, it's also just a mildly edited version of the originals, adding in my OCs to the scenes, removing the Battle of Victoria, and adding in several additional scenes. Regardless, I hope you all enjoy it, and it's a nice break from all the heavy action of the last two chapters.**

**I'm not gonna bother posting the custom GuAIZs of the Alaric Team here, since their only mildly improved and with customized armaments.**

**Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply. I'm not writing another one here.  
**

* * *

Phase Twenty-Eight: Lacus Strikes

June 16th, C.E. 71

* * *

Earth Orbit

The Freedom, Faith, Justice, Conviction, Raven, Guardian, Talos and the _Kusanagi_'s Astrays floated around the separated compartments of the _Kusanagi_, aiding in the vessel's assembly.

"I feel like I just got back from here," said Makoto softly, looking at the stars around her.

"_That's right,_" said Kira. "_You__ lived__ on Earth most of your life, right?_"

"Yeah," said Makoto. "I was born in the colonies, but I've lived on Earth most of my life. Even after my parents moved to Heliopolis, I stayed with Aunt Serenity so she could groom me as her heir. Moving to Heliopolis was kind of out of the blue for me."

"_Heh, well, maybe you don't feel wholly comfortable, but I'm glad to be in space again,_" said Victor.

"_When was the last time you were in space?_" asked Chris.

"_Far too long,_" said Victor. "_Well, it's not the PLANTs, but regardless, it's good to be home._"

"_I know what you mean,_" said Chris.

Makoto smiled slightly, her thoughts straying to a secret—and very ambitious—project of her aunt's.

Her smile turned into a frown. Had her aunt stayed behind?

"_Kusanagi_, this is Faith," said Makoto. "Is Lady Serenity aboard?"

"_I'm here Makoto,_" came Serenity's voice, and Makoto let loose a small sigh of relief as the _Kusanagi_ completed the docking sequence for its modules.

"I was simply wondering," said Makoto. "What was the status of Izanami?"

"_None of your concern,_" said Serenity. "_It's a surprise._"

"I hate surprises," said Makoto. "They never turn out well for me."

"_Hmmm, I don't think any of us can really argue with you about that,_" said Kira. "_Not that you're entirely right, but surprises generally don't turn out well for us._"

"_Alright, we've talked enough,_" said Victor. "_So, where do we park these things?_"

"_Let's wait till we know where we'll be meeting to discuss our plans,_" said Erik.

* * *

The _Archangel_'s Bridge

"_We're done with the docking operations,_" reported Kisaka. "_After a final systems check, we'll be set to disembark._"

"That's good to hear," replied Murrue, but her expression was still somber. "How's Cagalli?"

Kisaka hesitated for moment. "_She has calmed down somewhat, but it's been very hard on her._"

"_At the moment, none of us have heart to tell her not to cry,_" added Samuel.

Murrue nodded. "All right, with your permission, we'll come over and discuss our next move."

"_Okay. We'll make preparations for you and await your arrival,_" said Kisaka. "_Over and out._"

* * *

Aboard the _Kusanagi_

A Short While Later

Inside the crew quarters section of the _Kusanagi_, Cagalli sat alone in her room's lavatory. Her eyes were red and puffed from her crying. It felt like the entire world had collapsed the instant the Kaguya Mass Driver exploded. She stepped over to the sink and turned on the water, filling a small basin. Once it was full, she plunged her head into the cool water. When she straightened up and her vision cleared, she looked at her reflection. Her hair was a wet, tangled mess while her face was tired and ragged. Then her intercom buzzed.

"_Cagalli?_" It was Kira. But she didn't answer.

"_Is everything all right?_" asked Kira.

She still didn't answer right away. She grabbed a towel and dried off her face. She came out and answered her door, finding both Kira and Athrun standing outside.

"Sorry," she said, turning away from them. "But could you please let have a little more time to myself?"

Kira nodded. "Sure," he said, leaving with Athrun.

Cagalli returned to her bed and pulled the photo her father gave her from her pocket. She stared at the two infants, knowing that she was one of the infants. The other was apparently Kira. Her long lost sibling that she had no knowledge of. But how was it possible? And just who was this woman? Their birth mother? Then who was their father? And why had they been separated? And why had something so clichéd happened in her life, especially at a time like this?!

She shook her head. There were too many unanswered questions about this whole situation.

* * *

A shuttle was launched from the _Archangel_, heading for the _Kusanagi_. Mu piloted the craft, with Murrue sitting next to him in the copilot chair.

"The real challenge is ahead of us," commented Mu.

"Yes, I know that," she answered. "Orb has left us with a heavy burden. I only hope that we are able to carry out the task."

Once they all arrived on board, Samuel, Kisaka and Victor met up with them and led them towards the bridge.

"The _Kusanagi_ was originally used as a communications ship with Heliopolis," explained Kisaka. "It is capable enough as a mobile suit carrier with adequate armaments, but it still doesn't compare to the _Archangel_."

"So, this ship is made up of five compartments," said Mu. "And everyone on board travels between the compartments through the center. Talk about efficient."

Kisaka nodded and they turned one last corner before reaching the bridge. They entered and Murrue and Mu were even more surprised.

"This is just like the _Archangel_'s bridge," said Murrue.

"Actually, you should be saying the _Archangel_'s bridge is just like this," said Serenity, turning to face them with a smile from her position at the front of the bridge. "My sister and brother-in-law were the heads of Morgenroete's Heliopolis division, and they were the lead designers of the _Izumo_-class. Even without that, both ships were developed by Morgenroete."

"Can you bring up a map of this region of space?" asked Kisaka, looking to one of the stations. One difference between the bridges of the _Archangel_ and _Kusanagi_ was that the _Kusanagi_ include a sub-bridge for the CIC.

"Sure," answered a familiar voice. Murrue and Mu looked to see a woman whom they were both familiar with.

"Chief Erica Simmons," said Mu with a grin. "It's good to see that you made it as well."

"And she's not the only one here," said another familiar voice from behind.

Murrue and Mu turned to the voice. Johanna Dante.

"Since we'll be using M1s and the other new suits in the unfamiliar environment of space, we're here to make sure they function smoothly," said Erica as she typed on the keyboard in front of her, bringing up a map on a nearby screen.

"And if you plan to survive battles against forces of unknown size and technology, you're gonna need an expert in mobile suit equipment," came the voice of a third Morgenroete engineer, and Murrue and Mu glanced over to see Shizuka Taiyonoha seated at the station opposite Erica. "And that's to say nothing of potential upgrades to our own machines and the assembly of the incomplete mobile suits." Samuel chuckled before turning his attention to the map.

"This is our present location," said Samuel, pointing to a flashing green dot. "As you know, all the PLANTs are located at L5 and the remains of Heliopolis and Artemis are at L3. For the time being, we should make our way towards the L4 area."

As they talked, Kira, Makoto, Athrun, Erik, Chris, Liz and Cagalli stepped onto the bridge.

"What's at L4?" asked Murrue.

"There are some abandoned colonies located there," explained Samuel. "The _Kusanagi_ and _Archangel_ won't need supplies for some time, but we still have limits, especially concerning water. The colonies at L4 were damaged and abandoned shortly after the fighting began. While they are uninhabited, they'll be useful as a means of a water supply."

"This sounds awfully familiar," muttered Chris, remembering a similar dilemma the _Archangel_ faced months ago concerning a low water supply.

"Don't worry," said Mu, trying to assure him. "This isn't like Junius Seven."

"There might actually be several fully functioning colonies at L4," said Athrun, getting everyone's attention. "Quite a while back, ZAFT investigated reports of a suspicious group roaming the area, but found nothing out of the ordinary. Also, while nobody actually lives there, there should be some colonies operational facilities. They'd be perfect for an out of the way hideout for the time being."

"That sounds like a great plan," said Kira.

"Indeed. The Mendel Colony would be the most ideal," said Samuel, focused entirely the map.

"Mendel? Wasn't that place the victim of two separate biohazard accidents?" asked Victor. "Would it really be safe to go there?"

"The accident from seventeen years ago was a false alarm," said Serenity. "A number of theories concerning who was involved have cropped up, but the most likely is that personnel from the GARM R&D facilities used it as a means of escaping Blue Cosmos."

"And the real biohazard accident that resulted in Mendel's abandonment was three years ago," added Makoto, recalling her history lessons regarding L4. "It was then sterilized with x-rays. By now, it should be safe for occupancy. The other colonies aren't in nearly as good of condition, and where else can we go? Lunar territory is controlled by the Earth Forces, including L1, and both L2 and L3 are too far away for us to be able to act."

"L2's only the dark side of the moon," Erik pointed out. Samuel shook his head.

"True, but there's also nothing out there," he said. "Frankly, I was always astounded by the fact that nobody bothered building colonies out there."

"Besides," said Serenity. "Since Mendel was abandoned before the war even began, it's been virtually untouched by the conflict. Misuumi would compare it to people missing a diamond lying on the ground simply because it wasn't being held by someone they hate."

Makoto gasped suddenly.

"Wait, where is Uncle Misuumi?" she asked. Serenity looked away, blinking back tears.

"He stayed behind," she said softly. Makoto choked back a sob and looked away.

"Excuse me," she said, leaving the bridge. The others looked after her sadly for a moment before turning back to the matter at hand.

Mu turned to Athrun. "Hey, are you sure that you're okay with this?" he asked. "And not just you, this goes for him and those other guys from ZAFT as well." He motioned to Erik.

"Commander?" asked Murrue, but Mu held up his hand.

"I saw what you all did at Orb and your action spoke for themselves, but I can't help but notice the uniforms you're still wearing," said Mu. "And depending how things go out there, there's a very good chance that we'll end up fighting ZAFT forces. This won't be like Orb, so are you really ready for this? I know Victor is with us regardless. But you and the others are different. And you are Patrick Zala's son."

"What does that have to do with anything?!" demanded Cagalli.

"For a soldier to defect is a more serious matter than you seem to think," Mu shot back. "On top of that, it's all the more serious when your own father is the leader of the nation as well. It's difficult to fight a war unless you believe in the cause you're fighting for, all the more so when that belief is turned on its head. I hate to press the issue, but I need to know that I can count on you if we fight together. So can I?"

A heavy silence filled the bridge. Not a word was uttered for a painfully long moment, Erik waiting for his friend to speak up. Athrun finally took a deep breath.

"All I can say is this," said Athrun. "Recently I've seen, heard, and thought many things about what's supposed to be right and wrong. I'll admit there are some things I do understand and a lot that I don't. The one thing that is clear to me is that the world I hope for is shared by all of you. I'll do what I can to see that our shared goal is achieved."

"You can count on me," said Erik. "I joined ZAFT in the hopes of dying for a cause greater than myself. The war of Patrick Zala is not that cause though. I believe that I have finally found something worth fighting for." Liz glanced at Erik out of the corner of her eye, as did Athrun, both of them uncertain what to make of his words.

Mu hesitated to answer, but then smiled. "You both sound very determined, and that's a good answer," he said. He then looked to Murrue and the others. "Orb has entrusted us with a heavy task, and we are only two ships. It may be impossible to do anything that won't be in vain."

"You know, there are people in the PLANTs who think the same way," said Athrun.

Kira turned around. "You mean Lacus?"

Athrun nodded.

"Oh, the pink princess, huh?" commented Mu.

"Yeah," said Kira. "She's the one who gave me the Freedom. And she's Athrun's fiancée."

There were some gasps and Athrun saw Cagalli give him a quick glance, but turned away just as fast. Both former ZAFT pilots actually had to suppress a snort, though—Kira had refrained from mentioning _his_ relationship with Lacus. But this really wasn't the time or the place to inform the others about it.

"She and her father are being hunted as traitors," Athrun informed them. "By order of my father."

"But she's not our only allies," said Victor. "If I can get in touch with my comrades, I have no doubt that they'll join us."

"You're referring to the Alaric Team, aren't you?" asked Mu.

"Yes I am," said Victor.

"What makes you think that they'll be willing to defect like that?"

"Trust me," said Victor with a smirk. "They'll join us. If we do manage to meet them, I'm sure you'll understand why."

Murrue cleared her throat. "It's settled then. We'll head for L4 and gather supplies there."

"One more thing Captain Ramius," said Samuel. "I understand you have a vacancy in the CIC since Ensign Badgiruel was reassigned. I'd like to fill that vacancy, if that's okay with you."

This caught everyone off guard, save for Serenity and Shizuka, who seemed to have expected this.

"But I thought you'd be commanding the _Kusanagi_," said Murrue.

"Kisaka is more familiar with the _Kusanagi_ than I am," said Samuel. "So he'd be better off as its captain. Besides, we're not really an official army, so our ranks are pretty much meaningless."

Murrue nodded. "Very well then," she said. "I accept your offer General Dante."

* * *

The _Kusanagi_'s Hanger

Athrun stared out at the crews working in the hanger. But his mind was now on the fact of his father was now leading the PLANTs down a dark road and he feared what would happen. He also feared for Lacus, wondering about her safety.

"Athrun."

He looked up to see Kira, Chris, Liz and Erik enter the room, all four back in their pilot suits. Behind them, Makoto floated in wearing the same civilian outfit as the day Athrun met her.

"Captain Ramius and the others are returning to the _Archangel_, lets head back too," said Kira.

"Sure," said Athrun, not bothering to ask about Makoto. It hadn't been hard to figure out that she shared his former commander's particular quirk for flying out without a pilot suit.

Just then, the door opened again. They all turned to the door and watched Cagalli enter.

"Kira," she said. "There's something we need to talk about."

"We'll give you some privacy," said Athrun as he turned to leave with the others, but Cagalli stopped them.

"No, please stay."

The five teens glanced at each other, shrugged and nodded. Cagalli passed them and went over to Kira.

"What's on your mind?" he asked.

Cagalli gulped and reached into her pocket. "This," she replied, pulling out the photo.

Kira took it as Makoto, Athrun, Erik, Chris and Liz came over for a look.

"A woman and her babies? Who is this?" he asked.

"Look on the back," said Cagalli.

Kira looked and gasped when he saw the names scribbled on the back.

"My father gave me this just before I boarded the _Kusanagi_," she explained. "He told me that I wouldn't be alone. That… that my brother would be with me!"

Kira's eyes widened at the mention of the word 'brother'. The other five glanced back and forth at the photo and their friends. Athrun could suddenly see a resemblance, but he wasn't sure. He opened his mouth to say something. But he found that nothing came out. Chris on the other hand…

"Wait," he said. "Let me get this straight. Your father gave you this photo and told you that you'd be with your brother. And your brother is supposed to be Kira. Correct?"

Cagalli nodded.

Chris shook his head. "This is like some bad soap opera," he muttered.

"Hey, if we're gonna talk about that, why don't I give you my entire family history, including the psychopathic mother and sister?" said Erik jokingly.

"What does this all mean?" asked Cagalli, ignoring him. "I don't understand."

"Whatever it may be, this only doesn't tell us anything really," replied Kira.

"But what if this…?" she said. "What does that make me? Who am I really?"

"Dwelling on it won't do any good, Cagalli," said Kira, comforting her. "And it doesn't change the fact the Lord Uzumi was your father."

"Kira," she whispered. "I'm just so confused."

A short time later, she watched as the Freedom, Justice, Faith, Conviction, Raven, Guardian, Talos and the _Archangel_'s shuttle exited the hanger. Kira took a glance back at her as she stood in the waiting room.

"_Shouldn't you stay with her for now?_" asked Athrun.

"No, if I'm with her, she wouldn't be able to stop thinking about it," replied Kira. "It'd best if we both had some time to let this sink in."

Of course, he had to admit that he too couldn't stop thinking about this situation. The more he thought about it, the more questions he had.

"_It could have been worse,_" said Chris.

"How so?" questioned Kira.

"_The two of you could have been… well… you know… 'close', when you found out,_" said Chris with a chuckle.

"Gah! Don't even joke about that!" said an annoyed and slightly embarrassed Kira, which only caused Chris to laugh more.

"_I'm on his side Chris,_" said Makoto. "_You ever joke about that again… well, it won't end well for you, now will it?_" Chris gulped.

"_Besides, regardless of them being related, don't you think Cagalli would be a little late for that?_" said Erik.

"_He wasn't at White Symphony Erik,_" said Athrun before changing the subject. "_Kira, when we get back, do you think Captain Ramius will let me borrow a shuttle?_"

"Athrun?" asked Kira.

"_I need to make a visit to the PLANTs,_" said Athrun. "_I need to speak to father about a lot of things._"

Kira nodded. "I understand."

"_Just don't set out immediately,_" said Makoto. "_L5 is on the far side of the Earth from us at the moment, and none of us has gotten much rest lately. Relax until the ships get closer, okay?_"

"_I plan too,_" said Athrun.

"_We have another problem,_" interjected Liz suddenly. "_Capacity. Those machines you four are piloting have a larger breadth than standard mobile suits. We'd need to stuff both hangars past their normal capacity to fit all of our machines._"

"_Then until we reach a point where Athrun can easily depart for the PLANTs, he, Kira, Makoto and I will take turns in our mobile suits,_" said Erik. "_We're pretty much public enemy number one at the moment, even if most people don't know it yet. Keeping two of our strongest machines on patrol at all times will be a good idea anyways._"

* * *

Earth Forces Ptolemaeus Lunar Base

June 20th, C.E. 71

The door to the base commander's office opened, and an Atlantic Federation officer with black hair, purple eyes, and a distinctly militaristic air about her stepped in, saluting the base commander.

"Lieutenant Commander Badgiruel of the 7th Mobile Fleet reporting, sir," said Natarle Badgiruel, lowering her arm when she finished speaking.

"Hmmm," murmured the commander, standing up. "You'll be in charge of the second ship of the _Archangel_-class. I'm assigning you command of the _Dominion_."

"Yes sir," said Natarle, hesitating slightly before she continued. "Sir, is the crew roster I was sent for the _Dominion_?"

"It was."

"Then I'm afraid I must object to the present crew," she said. "The present crew roster is not the best available for a ship like the _Dominion_. Morgenroete designed these assault ships, and at their core, they are completely different from our other ships. Therefore, I'd like to request permission to fill out the crew roster myself."

The base commander nodded in agreement. "Very well," he said. "Well, I'm not surprised. Captain Oswald picked out the crew, and I've noticed a trend of going for people based solely on loyalty rather than competence, and not even loyalty to the Alliance proper. We've lost more than a few good ships that way."

"Thank you sir," said Natarle. While her words were true, she had another key motivation for changing the roster herself: make sure as few people in the crew as possible were Blue Cosmos fanatics. She was almost a hundred percent sure that more than half of the original roster was made up of Blue Cosmos agents.

* * *

_Archangel_, Makoto's Quarters

"_Makoto? I'm coming in,_" came the voice before the door suddenly opened. Makoto looked up from the family photo she held to see Shizuka entering the room. "Are you really going to spend all your time in here or on patrol?"

Makoto looked away. "I know it's selfish," she said. "And I know it's a lot tougher on Aunt Serenity, but I… Master Misuumi was like a father to me, as much as my actual father was, especially during the last four years. He was such a constant in my life… when I was fighting against ZAFT, a lot of the time, I thought 'what would Master Misuumi say about all this?'. But now, I can never figure out the answer. He's no longer around to tell me."

"Makoto," said Shizuka quietly, sitting on the bed next to her niece and pulling the redhead into a gentle hug.

"And when I think about the fact that he's dead, I remember mom and dad," said Makoto, tears filling her voice and eyes. "Erik killed them. I arrived just in time to see him pull the trigger and end their lives. I fought so hard against him, trying to avenge them. When I first really had the chance, in the atmosphere, I refused. He was vulnerable—helpless, and I'd won because he was tired. Then, in the desert, where he'd stolen the advantage and exhausted me, I defeated him. He told me to finish it, but I refused. Because… because I didn't want to disappoint everyone. I didn't want to take that final step on the path of revenge, and instead turned away from it."

"And for that, we're all proud of you," said Shizuka, stroking Makoto's uneven hair gently. "Even Misuumi had always feared that he would never be able to step off the path of vengeance if something were to happen to you or Serenity. That you could do so is enough to make us all proud—me, Serenity-neesama, Naomi-neesan, Ami-neechan, Misuumi-sensei, Ichida-kyōdai and Yushiro-kyōdai. It's enough to make little Misuumi-chan and Minako-chan proud, even though they never lived to see their dear baby cousin grow up. You've made us all proud, Makoto-chan, and you've only continued to make us prouder."

"Shizuka-obasan," whispered Makoto, leaning into her aunt's embrace and letting all the tears she'd been suppressing since Heliopolis flow free, joined by tears mourning the aunt and uncle who died before she was born, and the cousins she'd lost soon after.

"Shh, Makoto-chan," whispered Shizuka soothingly. "Tōsu sore soto de. Nemuri."

* * *

Victoria Spaceport

June 28th, C.E. 71

It was over. After a week of hard fighting, the Earth Forces had reclaimed the Victoria Spaceport. After three more days, they'd also recaptured the Victoria Base itself. In total, the Third Battle of Victoria had lasted ten rigorous days.

Though many ZAFT soldiers had escaped, many more of the soldiers hadn't been so lucky. And the Alliance soldiers were more than willing to emulate the actions of many ZAFT soldiers during the Panama attack.

Alliance personnel were already cleaning up the base and preparing for its first launch under the Earth Alliance's control. A jeep passed by the crew rushing to complete their work on time. Inside the jeep were Azrael and Captain Sutherland. Azrael was pleased, very pleased. The biological CPUs had finally proven their worth. And not only that, the Alliance had finally broken ZAFT's mobile suit supremacy. Everything was finally starting to slide into place.

"Well, I have to say that was quite an impressive victory, Captain Sutherland," said Azrael, complementing the commander of the attack on Victoria.

"It was the Strike Daggers and those six new machines of yours that won us this victory," replied Sutherland.

"Yes," said Azrael. "Though I was quite worried that they weren't up to par after what happened to Orb."

"Indeed," said Sutherland. "I think the only reasons we had any difficulties at Orb was because of those unexpected machines you told me about."

Azrael nodded. "Considering we attacked them with the Calamity, the Deliverance, the Supremacy, the Relentless, the Forbidden, the Twilight, and the Raider, I never expected to have that much difficulty or lose the Relentless. Orb was a truly wicked nation. I wonder what they could have been thinking."

"They probably thought that if they could played their cards right, they'd be sitting pretty. What a disgusting nation," said Sutherland. "I understand that a lot of their technology came from the PLANTs. Actually, now that I've had some time to think about it, it's possible that those four machines were made by ZAFT."

Azrael watched as the Raider, the Calamity, the Deliverance, the Forbidden, the Supremacy and the Twilight were loaded on a cargo ship that would soon take them to the Ptolemaeus Lunar Base on the Moon.

"In either case, we'll need to do something about them. Perhaps even acquire one of them," he said as the jeep came to a stop.

"So that's why you're going into space," commented Sutherland.

Azrael stepped out of the vehicle. "Yes. After seeing them in action, I can't help but wonder. Could those four machines be nuclear powered?"

"You can't be serious," said a stunned Sutherland.

"I don't have any proof at the moment, but that much power isn't possible with current battery technology," explained Azrael.

The two walked through the Mass Driver control building, heading for their shuttle.

"Well, the Coordinators did develop the N-Jammers in first place," said Sutherland, thinking over the idea. "So it is possible that they could have developed a way to cancel out their effects. But if that were true, there could be serious consequences for us."

"Do you doubt me, the Director of the Atlantic National Defense Conglomerate?" asked Azrael as they reached the shuttle boarding ramp.

"No. Of course not," replied Sutherland quickly.

"Remember, we are the weaker creature here," explained Azrael. "In order to ensure our safety, we must keep the beast with fangs caged or on a leash."

"Yes," said Sutherland. "We can't let them run wild in space. Even if we were the ones who created them in the first place."

"I'll go and take care of them," said Azrael as they boarded the ship. "Permanently."

* * *

As the five biological CPUs took their seats, they all made sure to keep a fair distance between them and their sixth member.

Louisa was scaring the others. During the Battle of Victoria, she'd been unenthusiastic and bored. While all of them were dissatisfied with how weak their enemies were, the rest of them had still enjoyed the slaughter. Louisa, however, hadn't even enjoyed that. Even the doctors had been weary of the azure-eyed pink-haired teenager ever since the destruction of Kaguya. She'd even endured the pain of withdrawal well, quickly recovering almost full ability. Yes, she'd still been in terrible pain, but the only outward signs of it were her heavy breathing and sweat. Her eyes had been filled with even more rage than Azrael, but it wasn't even directed at the doctors.

Shani was the only one who realized what had Louisa so upset and angry, and even he failed to understand it.

Louisa looked out the window with dead eyes. It had been nearly two weeks since Orb, but she'd felt like she was dying since the destruction of Kaguya. Her battles with that silver mobile suit had brought her to life, the pilot's performance capturing her heart. Louisa had been quick to realize that she could find no satisfaction in anything except facing the silver one in battle. She had to express her love.

She had to kill the one who had stolen her heart.

* * *

The _Archangel_'s Hanger

Athrun finished suiting up as his shuttle was being prepped for launch. It was a small, single seat craft. With it, he would be able to make the lengthy, several days long trip to the PLANTs. Kira, Chris, Makoto, Erik, Liz, Saul, Nicol, Dearka and Yzak were there to see him off.

"If anything happens to me, I want one of you guys to pilot the Justice," he said.

"No way," replied Dearka. "You're the only one for that mobile suit."

"Yeah. I don't want use any other machine besides my Surge," added Saul.

Athrun turned to Nicol, who shook his head. "Sorry. But the Justice just isn't for me."

Athrun looked at Yzak, who also shook his head. "I'm sticking with the Duel until it can't take me any farther," he said. "And unlike you, I have no intention of blowing it up." The others chuckled slightly at this.

Finally, Athrun turned to Chris and Liz. "No. I'm not piloting a nuclear powered mobile suit," said Chris, Liz nodding in agreement. "You, Kira, Makoto and Erik can pilot those things, but I'm never gonna pilot one of those machines or any like them."

"Wait a minute!" someone called out.

Cagalli appeared, virtually tackling Athrun. "Why are you doing this?" she asked. "Why are you going back to the PLANTs?"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you this earlier," answered Athrun.

"Sorry doesn't cut! What will happen if you return without that?" she shouted, pointing to the Justice.

"I'm leaving the Justice here. It's better this way," he explained. "Should worst come to worst, Kira will take care of it."

"That isn't what I'm talking about!" said Cagalli.

Athrun sighed. "I know, but I still have to do this."

Kira then came over and put his hand on her shoulder. "Cagalli, you know why he has to go."

Defeated, she nodded and stepped back.

A short while later, the shuttle took off and sped away. A minute after, the Freedom followed as escort. Whenever everything was done, the plan was to rendezvous with Athrun and both would return to the _Archangel_. All hands onboard both ships nervously watched as both machines disappeared out of sight.

Although they still had many powerful machines, the Justice was now without a pilot, and the Freedom was gone. Much as they didn't want to admit it, their greatest fighting force had just lost half its strength.

* * *

Patrick Zala's Office, Aprilius One

July 1st, C.E. 71

Patrick Zala sat inside his office and watched footage of the Earth Alliance's battle with Orb. Le Creuset had managed to record a portion of the battle as he returned to Carpentaria before returning to space.

The loss of Victoria had been a heavy blow. Though Thule had managed to save a portion of their forces stationed there, the loss of the Mass Driver to the Earth Forces was a grave turn of events. Just when they had turned things in their favor again, those damn Naturals attacked Victoria. And with those accursed new mobile suits of theirs, the PLANTs were once again in danger.

As he continued watching, Zala spoke with the Captain of their new warship, the _Eternal_. "Yes, that's right," he said. "Le Creuset returned less than an hour ago and had this information with him. I don't how or why the Freedom ended up at Orb. Athrun may know, but the little fool and his team haven't reported in yet."

"_You did say that their mission was top secret,_" the man replied. "_Needless communications is but one way information can be picked and leaked._"

Zala shuddered. Leaked information had become the cause of many of his recent headaches. "The overconfident Naturals have been gathering at the moon. We need to crush them this time, completely," he said, changing the direction of the conversation.

"_I understand. I shall give every effort to repay Your Excellency for giving me another chance at life._"

* * *

Aboard the _Vesalius_

"Well Miss, I think I found the reason you've been getting sick in mornings," said the doctor. "I believe congratulations are in order."

Flay's eyes widened in surprise. "You don't mean…"

"Yes. You're going to be a mother."

Flay felt an overwhelming tide of emotions as she subconsciously reached for her abdomen. She was going to have baby. She felt joy. Worry. Fear even. But mostly joy.

She was going to be a mother. To Chris's child. Sure, she was more than a little young for it, but she'd cope. But she'd cross that bridge when she came to it. For now, all that mattered was ensuring the safety of her unborn child and trying to find a way back to _Archangel_.

* * *

Outside Jachin Due

An Hour Later

Athrun's shuttle reached the defensive perimeter surrounding the space fortress of Jachin Due. He and Kira had already parted ways and Kira now waited at the rendezvous point. A group of GINNs moved in to intercept his craft. He switched to a ZAFT communication channel.

"This is operative Athrun Zala of the National Defense Committee," he said. "My identification number is 285002. Jachin Due Defense Forces, please respond."

The squad of GINNs slowed but didn't stop. They quickly surrounded the shuttle, ready to destroy it if he did anything remotely suspicious.

_So far so good, _thought Athrun, though since barely not hostile was good, he really hoped it didn't turn bad. _I hope I haven't made a big mistake in coming here._

* * *

Patrick Zala's Office

Patrick Zala looked over the data of what he planned to be his ultimate weapon in the war against the Naturals: the appropriately named GENESIS, for it would be the genesis of the Age of the Coordinator. It was already in the final phase of its construction and would be operational shortly thereafter. His intercom buzzed and he pressed the receiver. "Yes, what is it?"

"_Operative Athrun Zala has arrived at Jachin Due, sir. He was piloting an Earth Forces shuttle._"

This was a shock for Patrick. At very least, Athrun should be in the Justice, not an Earth Forces shuttle. And what about Saharin and Ombre? Something had happened. Something he knew he wasn't going to like.

"_Given the circumstances, he's being detained at this moment,_" added the officer.

"Bring him here at once," ordered Patrick before turning off the intercom. He had many questions for Athrun.

A short while later, Athrun was escorted into his father's office, flanked by two guards. Once they arrived, the guards saluted the Chairman.

Patrick said nothing at first. He sighed and stood up. "Guards, leave us."

Once the guards left, Patrick looked at his son and continued. "What's happened? Where are the Justice and the Freedom? And where are your teammates and their machines?"

"I know where they all are. They are intact and safe," answered Athrun. "But I need to ask you something father. What direction are you planning to take this war?"

"What?!" demanded Patrick. "What sort of absurd question is that?! What about your mission?! That's what you need to report on!"

"The reason I've returned is because I needed to speak with you directly," said Athrun. "I'm talking about what happened at Alaska, Panama, and Victoria. You attack because you're attacked and then you're attacked again because you attacked. All the while, war and suffering continues. How much longer will this drag on?! How many more will have to die?!"

"Where did you get such ideas?!" shouted Patrick. "Did Clyne and his daughter get inside your head?! Meeting force with a great force is just what we need to win!"

"But how far are you willing to go?" asked Athrun.

"Once every last Natural is dead, that is when this war comes to an end," spat Patrick without hesitation.

Athrun was stunned to say the least. "What did you say? Do you really mean that you plan on killing all the Naturals?"

"Of course!" yelled Patrick as he grabbed Athrun by the collar. "That's been our goal from the start! Now where are your teammates and the four machines?!"

"Father, do you really mean what you just said about killing all the Naturals?" asked Athrun.

"That's the whole point of this war! That's why we're fighting this war! Have you forgotten that?!" shouted Patrick, throwing him to the ground.

The next moment, Patrick pulled out his sidearm and aimed at Athrun. "You're pathetic! Stop giving me that garbage and answer me! Where are the Freedom, Justice, Conviction and Faith?!"

Athrun glared at him but didn't answer, part of him noting the way his father didn't seem to care about the pilots.

"If you refuse to answer, I'll have you arrested as a traitor!" said Patrick.

But Athrun still didn't answer. His father reached for his intercom and called in a group of military police. They surrounded him and aimed their rifles at him. This whole thing had been a big mistake. He never should have come back. His father was locked into his path. Nothing he could say would change that. Suddenly, Lord Uzumi's words echoed through his mind.

"_The Earth Forces' present actions are being guided by the leader of Blue Cosmos, Muruta Azrael. To make matters worse, the PLANTs are led by someone who believes Coordinators are a new species, for Patrick Zala rules them now. The way things are developing, the world will soon be trapped between two forces who refuse to accept each others' existence."_

As much as he hated to admit it, his father was one of people driving this war on. He got to his feet. What he did next surprised everyone, himself included. Athrun lunged at his father. A shot rang out. Athrun fell to the ground, the bullet having grazed his right shoulder.

"Don't kill him. There is still information we need from him," ordered Patrick. "Arrest him and use whatever techniques necessary to pry information on the Freedom, Justice, Conviction and Faith out of him. I'm very disappointed, Athrun."

The soldiers pulled Athrun up and slapped a pair of handcuffs on his wrists

"As am I father," was his only response.

* * *

The guards dragged Athrun outside the government building, where a van was waiting. But he wasn't about to let them lock him up.

He had to escape. He had to contact Lacus and tell her where Kira was. He had to make sure his father didn't learn the location of the Freedom, Justice, Faith and Conviction.

"Get in," ordered one of the guards.

At that instant, Athrun made his move, kicking the soldier who'd spoken and using the momentum to tackle the other before running off.

"Hey, hold it!" said one of the soldiers, raising his rifle. However, the one in front of him suddenly spun and him with his own rifle, then followed Athrun, firing at the other soldiers and throwing a flashbang.

"Didn't expect this," he said, grabbing another flashbang and tossing it. "This way!" With that, he grabbed Athrun and pulled him around the corner of the building. "Get down and turn your back to me, I'm gonna shoot your handcuffs."

Athrun, though confused, immediately complied with the order and his handcuffs were removed.

"You're being way too reckless," said the soldier, handing him a pistol. "Don't you wanna live? I mean, you even knocked over one of my guys!"

"Who are you?" asked Athrun.

"I'm with what they're calling the Clyne Faction," responded the soldier, lifting his helmet slightly. Athrun suddenly recognized him as the soldier who'd accompanied Ian Kessel at White Symphony. "You've thrown quite a wrench into our plans."

"I'm sorry," said Athrun. "I had no idea."

"Well naturally, how could you?" replied the soldier as the second soldier he'd hit appeared, firing his rifle.

"DaCosta, hurry up!" said the second soldier.

"Here we go!" said DaCosta, spinning around the corner and firing his gun, Athrun following suit.

* * *

The _Eternal_

Inside a ZAFT Hanger

"Well, let's get to it," said Captain Andrew Waltfeld, picking up the phone on his chair's arm, switching to the ship's intercom while suppressing a smirk. "Uh, the ship is beginning its final preparations. Is that understood? The ship is in its _final_ preparations. Get to work."

The Captain's words left a number of crewmen utterly confused… until the others suddenly drew guns on them.

All across the ship, the Clyne supporters amongst the ship's crew quickly gathered up those that weren't and kicked them out as others rushed to bring the _Eternal_'s systems online.

Moments later, the door of the bridge opened.

"Sorry for the delay," came the voice of Lacus Clyne, entering the bridge and taking the commander's chair.

"No worries," said Andy. "As long as you made it safely. So, should we make our exit?"

"Yes," said Lacus.

"No problem, no problem!" chirped Mr. Pink, floating through the bridge as the crew went to work.

"Loading to departure plan C, forced exit," said one of the operators. "Subroutine one-nine-two-zero online."

"Inserting logic array, security disengaged, all systems go," announced another operator.

"_Whoa, what are you doing?_" came the frantic voice of the dockmaster suddenly. "_Your ship doesn't have orders to launch!_"

"Whatever," said Haro, perfectly voicing their opinion of the dockmaster's words.

"_Commander Waltfeld, what's going on?! Do you copy me?!_"

"The security code to the main gate's control system was just changed," said the one of the operators.

"Heh, what a clever bunch they are," said Andy. "They would've been better off leaving things alone." He turned to Lacus. "Now our exit's gonna be a bit messier. It might get rough, so hang on."

"We really have no alternative, do we?" said Lacus. "Because the fact is, the time has come for us to move forward."

"Prepare to fire the main cannon! Target the main gate!" ordered Andy. "Fire as soon as we take off!"

"Preparing main cannon, targeting main gate," announced the fire control officer. Andy looked back to Lacus and nodded slightly. Lacus nodded in return.

"Now _Eternal_, please go ahead and launch!" ordered Lacus.

The _Eternal_'s engines lit up, propelling the ship steadily forward.

"Eternal_, what are you doing?!_" demanded the dockmaster. "_Cut your engines! Alert Headquarters!_"

"Fire!" ordered Andy.

The main cannon of the _Eternal_ lit up, blasting apart the main gate in a single shot. While it had nothing on the weapons of the Earth Forces _Archangel_, the _Eternal_'s main cannon was nearly as strong as both of a _Nazca_-class destroyer's main cannons put together.

"Where's DaCosta?" asked Andy as the _Eternal_ cleared the dock.

At that very moment, a two-man shuttle raced through hanger, heading for the _Eternal_.

"_Commander!_" came DaCosta's voice.

"Head to the aft hatch DaCosta!" ordered Waltfeld. "Maximum thrust as soon as he's onboard! This ship's fast, we'll shake them off.

The shuttle entered the rear hatch, and the _Eternal_'s pilot punched the engines up to maximum thrust, the red warship blazing across the stars at speeds no other ship had ever achieved.

But even with that speed, there was one last obstacle to the Clyne Faction's escape from the PLANTs: the space fortress Jachin Due and its defense forces.

* * *

Elsewhere

Hiding where the Jachin Due defense forces wouldn't be able to find him, Kira observed the sudden activity. Dozens of ZAFT mobile suits were moving out, armed with the same heavy artillery he recalled seeing used at Heliopolis.

But it would make no sense for the Earth Forces to attack, and they weren't moving in his direction. It couldn't simply be that Athrun was in trouble, either, because over fifty mobile suits would be more than just slight overkill for dealing with a single rogue soldier without a mobile suit.

Also, their movements suggested they were trying to intercept something coming out of the PLANTs. On his long-range sensors, Kira spotted a heat source moving very quickly. In fact, the speed was nearly as great as the Freedom's cruising speed, which was very impressive since the size of the heat source was that of a warship, larger than anything ZAFT had previously fielded.

A sudden feeling filled his heart as he continued to watch the large heat source.

"_Don't expect me to wait around," replied Lacus. "I'll follow you soon enough!"_

Kira punched the controls, moving the Freedom out to intercept the Jachin defense forces, though he was careful to continue hiding from ZAFT.

* * *

The _Odin_

Near Jachin Due

"Commander, orders from HQ," said the comm. officer. "The _Eternal_ has been stolen from Aprilius One. Chairman Zala is ordering that all available ZAFT forces intercept and destroy the _Eternal_."

John Alaric nodded. "Very well," he said. "Bring all ships up to Level One Battlestations! Get the GuAIZs ready for launch! Bring our ships into position to flank as the Jachin defense forces move in to intercept!"

"Commander, the _Eternal_ is sending out a message to all ZAFT forces," said the comm. officer.

"Oh? Let's hear it," said John.

"_My name is Lacus Clyne,_" came the voice of the PLANT Songstress. "_Although I am an enemy for Chairman Zala because we imagine different futures for our people, I have no desire at all to fight against you. Please, let our ship go in peace. And I beseech you all once again to think carefully about what we should really be fighting against._"

The Jachin defense forces hesitated a moment, but their ultimate response was an attack. The _Eternal_ suddenly let loose with dozens upon dozens of missiles that intercepted everything the defense forces had fired.

"You're orders, sir?" asked a bridge officer.

This was wrong. Just as John had long-feared, the ZAFT he'd once known, the ZAFT he'd joined and fought for, was slipping away more and more with each passing day.

It had to stop.

"Do as you please," said John. "I'm launching. I will not follow Zala's orders any longer. But I will not force the rest of you into betraying ZAFT. All I ask is that you give me a head start."

No one on the bridge moved for a moment. Then, Diana Kessel stepped forward.

"No sir," she said. "I believe I speak for everyone here when I say… to hell with our orders."

"And to hell with Patrick Zala!" added Ajay.

Silence filled the bridge for a moment, a small smile gracing the features of the Black Hawk.

"Thank you," he said.

"What are you waiting for then?!" demanded Diana, both of the commander and of the rest of the team. John's smile dropped.

"Bring our ships closer to the _Eternal_! Scramble all mobile suits!" ordered John. "We're protecting the _Eternal_. I don't want a single mobile suit to get within striking distance of that ship! And do not fire until I give the signal! Is that clear?"

"Yes sir!" came the chorus of replies as the bridge crew rushed to carry out his orders.

"Will you still be going out as well, sir?" asked Captain Lee.

"Of course," said John. "You have the bridge Lee."

Within moments, all the mobile suits of the Alaric Team were launched, heading for the _Eternal_. The regular ZAFT forces heading for the red warship let out a cheer.

"Those traitors are done for now!" shouted one GINN pilot.

"Yeah! No way can they escape the Alaric Team!" said another.

* * *

The _Eternal_

"Damn, John's people are here," said Andy. "This won't be easy."

"Sir, we're being hailed by the Alaric Team," said DaCosta.

"Put it through," said Andy. "I'm sure John will listen."

The cockpit of John's GuAIZ appeared on the main screen.

"Eternal_, this is Commander John Alaric,_" he said. "_We have been ordered to destroy you. However, we can no longer follow Patrick Zala's orders. The entirety of the Alaric Team is at your disposal, Miss Clyne._"

"Good to hear that John," said Andy.

"_Andrew? You didn't tell me you were the captain of that ship,_" said John, surprised. Andy chuckled.

"_What? You damn traitors!_" shouted the commander of the mobile suit force. Dozens of GINNs advanced angrily… when suddenly, several of them were attacked and disabled from the rear. "_What the…?!_"

"_We're with you all the way Miss Clyne!_" said a GINN pilot, one of several turncoats that had disabled their fellows in a surprise attack.

"_While I'm sure everyone appreciates any assistance we can get, you should move in with our forces so you don't get slaughtered,_" said John. The five GINNs in question did so, moving forward and taking up defensive positions around the _Eternal_ with the forces of the Alaric Team.

Meanwhile, Jachin Due launched over a hundred more mobile suits.

"_Damn you, Patrick Zala, for forcing us to do this,_" said Diana. "_All forces, engage the ZAFT forces. Try to avoid the cockpit if you can. But do not let them near the _Eternal_!_"

The Alaric Team snapped into action, attacking the ZAFT forces like men and women possessed. The _Odin_ and its sister ships fired their cannons as did the _Eternal_. Many GINNs lost heads and limbs to the GuAIZs of the Alaric Team. Sadly, many more were destroyed. But even then, there were too many mobile suits for the Alaric Team and other turncoats to hold back. GINNs armed with missile launchers flew past the GuAIZs, heading for the _Eternal_.

"_Stop them!_" shouted John as he blew a GINN's head off.

But it was too late. A barrage of missiles was fired, all of them heading for the _Eternal_. The _Eternal_ fired its anti-missile countermeasures, but there were too many for them to stop, and a number of the missiles continued for the vessel.

Lacus though, wasn't worried. She'd felt it.

"Kira," she said softly.

At that instant, a series of perfectly aimed beams tore through space, obliterating all of the missiles in an instant as a majestic white mobile suit appeared from virtually nowhere, moving in front of the _Eternal_.

Where the Jachin defense forces had even stood against the Alaric Team despite their fear, they suddenly found themselves backing away from this new arrival in terror. The Freedom was projecting an aura of power and divine fury that blanketed the entire battlefield.

Without pause, Kira snapped his machine—the sword Lacus had given him!—into Full Burst Mode and opened up repeatedly on the entire ZAFT force that had dared try to hurt her.

In the blink of an eye, the battle was over, and more than a hundred GINNs had been reduced to nothing more than useless torsos. None of the pilots were harmed, but every GINN had been stripped of weapons, limbs and head, the ZAFT forces utterly pulverized by the power of the Freedom.

Not only that, but the ZAFT forces had been crippled without any of the _Eternal_'s protectors being hurt by the assault, despite several locking swords with their foes at the time.

"_Whoa… that was… I can't even describe it,_" said Ajay in awe. Even Diana was amazed by the display, and Athrun was openly gaping. Although he'd seen what Kira was capable of doing against mass-produced mobile suits and had heard the reports on the Battle of JOSH-A, he'd never thought he'd see something like this.

"_Lacus, are you okay?_" asked Kira, suddenly appearing on the _Eternal_'s display screen.

"Yes Kira," said Lacus, smiling lovingly at him. "I knew you'd come."

"Hey there youngster," said Andy, grinning at the screen. "You saved our butts."

"_Mr. Waltfeld?_" gasped Kira.

"In the flesh," said Andy, still grinning. "Alive and kicking. Now, where do I point this thing?"

"_Lagrange 4,_" said Kira.

* * *

_Archangel _Bridge

Space Colony Mendel, Lagrange Point 4

"So, who wants to go out and greet them?" asked Murrue as the four warships—three _Nazca_ destroyers and one unknown—closed in on Mendel. The Alaric Team was here, and the presence of the Freedom showed that they were there as allies.

"_I'll go,_" said Makoto, appearing on the display screen. "_Victor, you can follow if you like. I know your friends are out there._"

* * *

Bridge of the _Eternal_

"So, where's the welcoming committee?" asked Andy as the four ZAFT warships made their way steadily through the debris toward the colony.

Suddenly, his question was answered as a mobile suit nearly identical in appearance to the Freedom manifested from the debris, its wings spread out fully and emitting massive, beautiful pulses of light.

"_Any reason you're being so showy?_" asked Kira before the Faith's cockpit appeared on the display screen of the four warships to reveal Makoto Arata, still wearing civilian clothes rather than a pilot suit.

"_What am I gonna do with you two?_" asked Makoto, her tone that of an admonishing mother. "_I sent you out with a shuttle and a mobile suit for a family reunion. You come back, sans shuttle, with four warships and Kira's girlfriend. I don't recall giving you permission to play heroes out there._"

"Makoto?" gasped Lacus. Kira and Athrun hadn't mentioned the identity of the Faith pilot to anyone.

"_It's me,_" said the redhead. "_Sorry I didn't talk to you back at White Symphony, but I was having too much fun messing with Erik and Athrun's heads at that point. Good to see you Lacus. And Commander Waltfeld. That's an unexpected surprise._"

"You're a surprise yourself," said Andy. "Everyone on our side thought you were dead."

"_Don't worry,_" said Makoto. "_For awhile there, the only one who knew I was alive was me. Don't feel bad about it—Erik's _still_ kicking himself over not realizing it sooner._"

* * *

Mendel Harbor

A short while later, the four ships entered the hanger alongside the _Archangel_ and _Kusanagi_. The bridge crews of both vessels and some of their mobile suit pilots had gathered inside a docking passage, waiting to meet the crews of the newcomers. The doors opened and group of mostly ZAFT officers entered. At the head of the group was Lacus Clyne, flanked by Andrew Waltfeld and John Alaric.

"Hey John, it's been awhile," said Victor, smiling as he saluted his former commander. "Diana, Lucius, Ajay, Lisa, Basque."

"Victor Cain," said Diana. "So you're the commander's agent. For awhile there, I thought you'd really bailed on us, though we all had our suspicions."

"Nah, Victor here is simply the only one I trusted that I could afford to lose," said John, returning the other sniper's salute.

"Good to know I'm expendable," said Victor jokingly.

Waltfeld turned to Murrue. "Would it be out of line to say it's a pleasure to finally meet you all face to face? I'm Andrew Waltfeld."

"Commander John Alaric," added John.

"Murrue Ramius," said Murrue. "I must admit, I am quite surprised you're all here."

"I'd say the feeling's mutual," replied Andy, turning to Kira and Lacus. "Right youngster?"

"You have a very good reason to want me dead," said Kira solemnly.

"We're in a war," commented Andy. "Everyone has a reason, yet no one does."

Kira nodded his head. "Thank you."

"And? Who might you be?" asked John, turning to the three Taiyonoha nobles.

"Serenity Sakaeru Taiyonoha of Orb," said Serenity. "My sister, Shizuka Kaioh Taiyonoha, and my niece and heir…"

"Makoto Michiru Arata," said Makoto. "I used to be the pilot of the Dauntless."

"Ah yes, I remember that," said John. "I heard your machine was the one to take down that abomination at Orb. Good riddance."

* * *

The _Archangel_'s Hanger

A Short While Later

Dearka, Saul, Yzak and Nicol hadn't gone with the others to meet the crews of the newly arrived warships. Instead, they had opted to remain behind to do a maintenance check on their machines before going out to help the Astray pilots with gathering the supplies from Mendel.

"So who do you think the newcomers are?" asked Nicol as he climbed out of the Hellfire Blitz's cockpit and floated down to his teammates.

"Don't know," replied Dearka. "Heard they're from ZAFT though."

"Think anyone we know might be with them?" asked Yzak.

"Doubt it," said Saul. "There weren't many people we knew who'd go turncoat like this, and if any were here, they'd probably have come to see us by now. Probably a bunch of hot shot pilots that think they're all that."

"Hello Saul," said a voice suddenly from directly behind Saul, sending a shiver up his spine.

Saul slowly turned around, coming face to face with his sister Diana.

"Er… hello sis," he said nervously.

"It's good to see you again Saul," she said before her fist hit his stomach.

Saul stumbled back in the zero-g environment, hitting the Hellfire Blitz's foot.

"And if you ever do that again, you better be dead," threatened Diana. "Because otherwise, I'll hunt you down and make you wish you had died. Am I clear?"

"Yes ma'am," answered Saul instantly with a slight groan.

Diana nodded and left the four.

"Damn, that woman's scary," said Dearka as soon as she was safely out of the hanger.

Yzak, Nicol and Saul could only nod their heads in agreement.

* * *

Elsewhere

"To think that she managed to escape with something like this ship and three _Nazca_-class ships. She's really something," commented Cagalli, staring at the _Eternal_ with Athrun.

"Yeah," he said as Cagalli glanced at Kira and Lacus together in another catwalk.

"You don't mind, do you?" she asked. "She is your fiancée, right?"

"Ex-fiancée," replied Athrun. "Because I was such a fool. I should've realized even before this war started just how those two would be if they ever met."

Cagalli shrugged. "Well, better to realize that now than never," she said, a smile forming on her lips. "And I think Kira is just as much a fool. I guess even Coordinators can do stupid things. So we might as well get used to it."

"You think so?" said Athrun. "I guess you're right."

The two glanced up again at Kira and Lacus.

"My father… he's dead Kira…" said Lacus to Kira, finally releasing tears and sorrow she had held in since she learned of her father's death.

"Lacus," said Kira softly.

She hugged Kira and cried into her chest. Kira simply hugged her back. This war had claimed many loved ones already. Makoto's parents and uncle. Flay's father. Those people on the shuttle. Waltfeld's lover. Cagalli's father. And now Lacus's father. It had to stop before more loved ones were killed. They had to stop it.

Chris watched the two groups from further down one of the catwalks. He sighed. He missed Flay and watching them only made it worse. But she was safe on Earth at least. He didn't have to worry about her safety.

Not far from Chris, Liz also watched the two groups, while also keeping an eye on Chris. Glancing away for a moment, she spotted Makoto with Shizuka, talking to Victor and John, and sighed.

"Makoto…" she said softly.

* * *

"So, how come you never mentioned this in all our conversations Victor?" asked Makoto. Victor chuckled.

"I never thought it would matter," said Victor simply.

"Funny, none of my people ever realized it," said John. "You two were quick to catch on."

"Funny how that worked out, isn't it?" said Shizuka. "Anyways, Mr. Black Hawk, I think we'll be assembling the Talos II's brother unit for you now. If you don't mind, we can incorporate parts and weapons from your current machine into it. I get the impression you don't like it much."

"You're right," said John. "I don't much like the GuAIZ. I wasn't particularly eager to discard Farsight, but considering how things were, I didn't see much choice. All right, I guess I'll accept. Farsight II is stashed away on the _Odin_, so go ahead and incorporate parts from that as well, please. I trust this machine is capable, if its replaced your Talos, Victor?"

"Plenty," said Victor. "It's a variation of the Strike, nicknamed the 'Strike II'. At its core, though, it's a machine built to be customized specifically for a single pilot. I think you'll like the Aile Sniper Striker."

"I'll get right on it," said Shizuka. "It's only fitting that the Black Hawk has a machine equal to his brother's, right?"

* * *

**Author's Note: I hope everyone liked it. Kira goes badass on the ZAFT forces for threatening Lacus, which is one of my favorite scenes in this. Also, as I revealed in the second to last word of the chapter proper, Victor is apparently John Alaric's brother. The idea is one that sort of cropped up to me during the course of the story, but it's one that I really enjoy, and it makes sense too, when you think about it.**

**We get to see a bit more of Louisa here. Does she remind my readers of anyone? To me, she ended up coming across, unintentionally, as a composite of several Gundam 00 characters, including (amusingly enough) Louise Halevy. The name similarities are purely coincidental, though. I also removed Rau as a factor for Flay, since I really didn't think that fit with his personality much.**

**I created the scene of Shizuka comforting Makoto because I wanted to get Shizuka a bit more screen time. So far, she's mostly been playing the role of 'peanut gallery', so now, that's changed. There's also something else up here. As if the mystery of Divinity wasn't enough, what the hell is Izanami? Well, at least that seems to be something Makoto is in on.**

**I was also torn on Aisha. I honestly wanted to keep her alive, because I enjoyed the idea of future interactions between her and Makoto. Ultimately, though, I decided against it, largely because I've kept almost everyone alive up until this point. Nicol and Tolle both died in canon, but I preserved them here, and even preserved Makoto, despite the long-running appearance to the contrary. Siegel, Uzumi, Misuumi all died, but frankly, that just wasn't enough, so Aisha had to go too, much as I liked her.  
**

**Finally, we also see Natarle taking action to ensure Blue Cosmos doesn't control the _Dominion_. I can't help but wonder how that will affect future events.**

**Anyways, please leave a review! I can't say for certain what the next chapter will hold, whether it will be character interaction, or jumping back into the story and the action. Probably the latter, but the former could be fine, if I pull it off.**

**Ja ne!  
**


	30. Phase 29: Tides of Darkness

**Well, this is one of the shortest chapters in the entire story. Although this is mostly just an edited version of the equivalent chapter from _Gundam SEED: A Retelling_, I recommend everyone read it through, though the ZAFT scenes can be pretty much skipped totally if you've read _A Retelling_.**

**Even though it's mostly just an edited version, the edits tend to heavily emphasize the changes between _SEED Dauntless_ and _SEED: A Retelling_. I added in a few scenes, especially in the last part of the chapter.**

**Alright, time for a full disclaimer. I'm just gonna copy, paste, and edit a previous disclaimer, because I'm lazy.**

**Also, the final line of the chapter is a joke.**

**Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply. ****I do not own Gundam SEED or any of its characters or mecha. The Original Characters Chris Dante, Liz Dante, Johanna Dante, Samuel Dante, Zane Scirocco, Saul Kessel, John Alaric, Diana Kessel and Victor Cain are the property of Akatsuki Leader13. I do not own the Original Mecha GAT-X302 Raven Gundam, GAT-X204 Surge Gundam, MBF-MX1 Athena, or (within limits) the MBF-XX105 Talos II or MBF-XX105 Farsight III, which are likewise the property of Akatsuki Leader13. I do own the Original Characters Makoto Arata, Erik Saharin, Misuumi Taiyonoha, Serenity Taiyonoha, Shizuka Taiyonoha, Christian Balliet, Roslyn Nawda, Louisa Kohls, Oran Pressly, James Adams, Jeff Moreau and Grissom. I also own the Original Mecha GAT-X308 Guardian Gundam, GAT-X135 Deliverance Gundam, GAT-X150 Supremacy Gundam, GAT-X264 Twilight Gundam, ZGMF-X15A Conviction Gundam and ZGMF-X16A Faith Gundam.**

* * *

Phase Twenty-Nine: Tides of Darkness

July 3rd, C.E. 71

* * *

_Archangel_-class Mobile Assault Ship _Dominion_

Near the Ptolemaeus Crater Base

"Sensors are detecting something," said the sensor operator, Chief Petty Officer Oran Pressly. "Large heat source approaching, distance 500, Orange 14 Mark 233 Alpha. Looks like a warship class."

"Stand by for anti-ship and anti-mobile suit combat!" ordered the _Dominion_'s Captain. "Ten to starboard, lower bow pitch angle fifteen! Activate Igelstellungs! Target enemy warship with the Valiants! Load launch tubes one to four with Korinthos missiles! Valiants! Fire!"

The bridge crew rushed to fulfill their tasks, fingers flying over the controls. But though experienced, they were all green with the systems of this new ship and weren't fast enough to finish in time, facing difficult with the differences between the _Dominion_ and every other ship in the fleet. The simulation ended with the _Dominion_'s destruction.

Natarle Badgiruel sighed. That was the third simulation in a row they had failed, and she was beginning to become annoyed.

"What the hell are you guys doing?" she asked. "I know you're all capable of doing better than this. Are the systems really that different?"

"Sorry ma'am," said the pilot, Ensign Jeff Moreau. Natarle sighed. Even the children from Heliopolis were better than this. She had a strong suspicion as to why her crew was having so much trouble.

"You need to remember that this ship works differently from other ships in the fleet," said Natarle. "You can't be trying to operate it like it uses the same control systems."

"Yes captain," said Moreau. "We'll try to remember that."

"Well, you've been getting better," admitted Natarle. "Reset the systems. We'll run another simulation." Natarle paused for a moment. She was about the order a simulation recreating the _Archangel_'s battle with the Alaric Team when the comm. officer, Petty Officer Grissom, interrupted her.

"Captain, we have an incoming message from the fleet headquarters," he said. "Hold position for incoming shuttle and mobile suits."

Natarle glanced out the window. A group of mobile suits led by a shuttle, was approaching the ship. Most of the mobile suits were Strike Daggers, but there were six that clearly weren't. Those six reminded Natarle of the G-Weapons from Heliopolis and she assumed they were the next generation of those mobile suits.

"Open the hanger hatches," she ordered.

A short while later, after the shuttle and the mobile suits had boarded the _Dominion_, Captain Bernard of the Ptolemaeus Base and a blond haired man in a blue suit stepped onto the bridge.

"I apologize for interrupting you in the middle of a simulation," said Bernard.

"It was no problem at all sir," replied Natarle as she and the bridge crew saluted.

Bernard returned the salute. "Allow me to introduce you to Director Muruta Azrael of the Atlantic National Defense Conglomerate," he said, turning to the man in the blue suit. "I'm sure you've heard the name before."

Natarle nodded. She was familiar with the man's name. He was after all the head of the largest weapons manufacturer for the Atlantic Federation and the Earth Alliance.

"He'll be joining you," continued Bernard. "He wants to observe the state of the art mobile suits that have assigned to your ship. Please, make him feel welcome."

"Nice to meet you, Miss Captain," drawled Azrael.

"Yes sir," said Natarle. "Lieutenant Commander Natarle Badgiruel at your service, sir."

"I must admit, I never expected the Captain of this ship to be this young and beautiful," said Azrael before turning to Captain Bernard. "Is this some sort of added benefit?"

"Not to worry. She is very skilled," replied the Bernard. "Her family has a long history of military service. In addition, prior to her posting here, she served as the first officer of the _Archangel_."

Azrael was impressed by this. "So you're very familiar with the _Archangel _then," he said as the door opened behind him and six pilots in custom pilot suits entered the bridge. "That will be very useful. Since our mission is to seek and destroy the _Archangel_."

Natarle gasped in surprise.

* * *

_Flay was confused, as she found herself wandering the corridors of the _Archangel_. But this wasn't a pleasant walk through the halls. Blood and bodies filled the corridors. The bodies of the crew of the _Archangel_. Chief Murdoch. Dr. Hunnicutt. And many more people that she knew lined the halls._

_But they all couldn't be dead. Someone had to still be alive. She continued to search the ship for someone, anyone that was still alive. Eventually she found herself on the bridge._

_But it wasn't any different from the rest of the ship._

_Captain Ramius sat in her chair, her lifeless eyes staring out into space, Blood pouring down from wounds on her face and chest. Below in the CIC, Miriallia was lying half on the ground, in a pool of blood. Next to her was Sai, his broken glasses on the verge of slipping off his face. Natarle was there as well, slumped on her chair and blood pouring from numerous wounds, just like the others._

_Suddenly, the sounds of alarms filled her ears, distracting her from the horrors around her. She turned to the large bridge window. The Raven and the Strike battled two mobile suits she had never seen before. One was black and red, armed with a number of heavy weapons. The other was dark gray and didn't engage them that much, only firing the occasional shot from its rifle, as though the battle wasn't of any real interest._

_The black and red machine fired its two hand carried cannons at the Strike. The Strike raised its shield, but the beams destroyed the Strike's shield and the arm holding it, as well as its right leg. The machine then continued to fire on the Strike, obliterating the white and blue mobile suit._

"_Kira…" whispered a horrified Flay._

_Then Kira's murderer turned to the Raven. It repeatedly fired its cannons at the Raven, but the midnight blue mobile suit transformed into its mobile armor mode. In that state, it was faster, fast enough to dodge the shots and fly in close to the mobile suit. The Raven transformed back and before his opponent could react, sliced through its chest with his beam sabers. The black and red mobile suit exploded._

_As soon as the fireball of the Raven's enemy died out, the gray mobile suit attacked, releasing a number of strange funnel shaped objects from its backpack. The funnels surrounded the Raven, firing beams at it. The Raven tried to avoid the beams, but they were coming from all directions. It dodged one shot, but another shot blew off its left arm. Another tore through it's right wing. Its head exploded. Its right leg was severed at the shin. The Raven's railgun was destroyed. By the end, the Raven was completely helpless._

_From the still mysteriously burning fireball of the Strike, a winged mobile suit emerged and stabbed its beam saber through the gray machine._

_At the instant the gray machine was stabbed by the winged mobile suit, the funnels fired at the Raven's torso all at once._

_Before Flay could even begin to scream, a massive blast of red energy tore through the explosion and slammed into the _Archangel_'s bridge._

"NOOOOOOOO!" screamed Flay as she shot up.

Her breathing was heavy and frantic. She was in Le Creuset's quarters. Thankfully, she was alone. But it had all been a nightmare. The _Archangel_ and everyone on board were still alive. Chris was still alive.

She pulled out the dog tags Chris had given her from underneath her undershirt and held it in her hands. Chris told her that as long as she wore it, she would be safe. But for the first time she wondered, if they were protecting her, what about Chris? He was the one out there fighting. Risking his life. He needed them more than she did. She should have refused it, so he would still have it.

"Please," she whispered, clutching the dog tags to her chest. "Please. I don't care how this war ends. So long as Chris and I are together again after it's all over."

* * *

The _Archangel_'s Bridge

Two days later

"As some of you already know, this colony was scrapped before the war because of a biohazard incident years earlier," explained Samuel to the gathered group of people from the _Archangel_, the _Eternal_, the _Kusanagi_ and the Alaric Team.

Mu nodded. "Yeah, I remember that incident," he said. "It caused quite a stir."

"But because of that, it has received only minimal damage and pirates and the like have avoided it out of fear of being exposed to what caused the biohazard in the first place," continued Samuel. "So this place is ideal for us to use as a base for now."

"Our immediate concern is most likely the moon," said Lacus. "I hear that now that they've recaptured Victoria, the Earth Forces have continuously been sending up troops."

"That can only mean one thing," said John grimly. "They're planning an all out attack on the PLANTs."

"You think they'd actually do that?" asked Murrue.

"Of course," replied Andy. "Their forces are full of people who have always wanted to pull off that kind of stunt. 'For the preservation of our blue and pure world.'"

"That's enough," said Mu in an annoyed tone.

"Hey, they're the ones saying it, not me," said Andy.

"I know," said Mu. "But you're right."

"I can't see how getting rid of all the Coordinators will lead to a pure world," said Andy. "Hell, I don't even know what a pure world is."

"Then there's Patrick Zala and those that think like him in the PLANTs," added Victor as Cagalli left the bridge. Although he had been offered his old position in the Alaric Team, he'd chosen to stick with the _Archangel_'s MS team as the new semi-leader, since Makoto would be flying off of the _Eternal_. "They believe that because of the superior abilities of Coordinators, they are the new and superior race of humanity, and Naturals are nothing but vermin compared to them. As Lord Uzumi said, neither side will tolerate the other to exist. That's why John had me playing mercenary, allowing me to see things that would be carefully hidden from most. Mercenaries are… inconsequential, in the eyes of most."

"We live in such a cruel era," said Murrue, leaning onto Mu.

Mu nodded. "Yeah," he said.

"No. This isn't a cruel time for humanity. It's actually fairly normal," said John. "Look at our past. Just about every war, every conflict, has, in the end, been like this. Two groups of people unable to tolerate each other for whatever reason and descending into violence. That's the flawed nature of humanity. People tend not to like people that aren't like them."

"While what you say is true, Murrue is still right," said Serenity. "This is a cruel era we're living in. Orb, Alaska, Panama, Victoria, the Bloody Valentine… all of these things are proof enough that this has gone far beyond even the human norm."

"But it has always been we humans who do this and who stop this," said Lacus as she placed a hand on Kira's shoulder. "Throughout history there have been many people who feel the way we do. Wouldn't it be great to create a world where fighting is not necessary?"

Kira smiled. "Yeah."

"That's an ambitious dream," said John.

"But it's one worth striving for, regardless," added Victor.

* * *

Athrun stared out into the Mendel Colony's harbor. His thoughts were on everything that had recently happened at the PLANTs with his father. He had hoped that he could have reasoned with his father. Convince him to find a way to end this war peacefully. But he wouldn't listen and instead threatened him and shot him.

"I finally found you," said Cagalli, pulling him away from his thoughts. "I bet your mind's going around in circles, getting nowhere. That's why you need to discuss what's on your mind with everyone. When we gather for meetings, you should be there too."

"Sorry," he said.

Cagalli glanced at his arm brace. "Does it hurt?"

"Ah, no," he lied.

"What are you talking about?" demanded Cagalli. "Of course it hurts. You were shot by your own father."

"I couldn't stop him. I realized it for the first time. I was totally powerless. And I didn't understand a thing," he admitted to her.

"Everyone feels that way. Those who think they understand are only fooling themselves," Cagalli shot back.

"Cagalli…"

"It's still too early to give up on your father," she said. "You may still have the chance to talk to him properly. So stop standing around alone looking so hesitant and–"

Athrun interrupted her by hugging her with his good arm. He didn't know why, he just felt like doing it. "Sorry."

"Wh-what do you mean, sorry?" stuttered Cagalli as she tried half-heartedly to break free of the embrace.

"Well, like I said. Sorry."

* * *

The _Vesalius_

Two days later

"This is the _Eternal_'s projected course, calculated from the data we received from Jachin Due," explained Rau to Ades and the gathered pilots.

"The L4 Colony Group," said Ades. "As expected. That place has always given us trouble. First it was dealing with those suspicious people hiding out there, and now this."

"I didn't think the Clyne Faction was that organized," commented Rau. "When did they get the urge to fight? And a number of our forces have defected to their side. We should expect anything."

"I've personally met both Captain Waltfeld and Commander Alaric before," said Ades. "And I thought I knew them. But I never would have expected this from either of them."

"They're both charming and likeable men," replied Rau. "Captain Waltfeld's a war hero who miraculously made it back alive after an encounter with the legged ship and its mobile suits, and Commander Alaric is one of our best space commanders who led our forces in many critical battles. Who would have expected this from them?"

"Too bad we're involved now," said Ades with a sigh. "This will get messy."

"Yes, well, it can't be helped," said Rau. "Things seldom go as you plan. It's not an easy thing to try and understand, the thoughts hidden within one's heart." Rau turned his attention to one of the other pilots.

"Shiho," he said. "From now on, Athrun, Erik, Nabiki and the Alaric Team are your enemies. Can you shoot them down?"

"Yes sir," said Shiho without hesitation. "I'm fully capable of shooting down any traitor to the PLANTs."

* * *

Le Creuset's Quarters

A Short While Later

Rau collapsed into the chair behind his desk, drained. Flay moved to the side of the desk. For the first time since she was first captured by him, she felt concern for him. Of course, that was probably more because she was worried about what would happen to her and her unborn child if something happened to him. While she knew that Shiho wouldn't mistreat her and may even defend her, she also knew that the ZAFT redcoat wasn't as capable of protecting her as the masked commander was.

"You're exhausted," she commented.

"I'm only human, my dear," he replied. "I've spent much of my life as a soldier, going from one battlefield to another. If you say it's because I'm a soldier, I have no argument. But no one is ever born into this world a soldier."

The words struck a nerve within Flay. She remembered her previous life. Before the attack on Heliopolis, she had been a pampered teenager with a doting, wealthy father. She once had lived a life in relative luxury. But that was all gone. Now, she was a POW and a mother to be. And yet, aside from her father, she didn't miss any of what she once had. That life now seemed almost completely alien to her.

"I'd like nothing more than to put an end to that forever. And wouldn't you?" he said, pulling out a disk from the drawer. "I hold the final key, but if it stays here then the final door will never be opened. I wish there was something I could do about it."

Flay gazed at the disk, wondering what secrets it held. Wondering how it could be the key to ending the war, and if she should truly believe what he said.

* * *

Mendel Airspace

The next day

"_Remember, for this exercise, you're__ all strictly forbidden from employing non-beam weapons,_" said Shizuka, manning the _Eternal_'s CIC. "_That means you especially, Makoto._"

"I haven't forgotten," said Makoto as she ran a third systems check to make sure her weapons had all been adjusted to 'training mode'.

"_And would it kill you to put on a pilot suit?_"

"In a twist of irony, while not wearing a pilot suit nearly killed me, it ensured that I was able to obtain the Faith," said Makoto, humor lacing her tone. "So… no, it wouldn't kill me. But I prefer my street clothes."

"_You're rather eccentric,_" commented Dearka.

"Whatever," said Makoto. "Alright, I'm now convinced that everything has been appropriately set. I'm ready to begin anytime."

"_Ready here,_" confirmed Kira.

"_Ready,_" said Erik. More confirmations continued to come in, until everyone had confirmed their weapons were on 'training mode'.

The impromptu six-vessel fleet was arguably stronger than any single fighting force the Earth Forces or ZAFT could field at the moment. Each vessel, even the _Eternal_—though it faced weaknesses the others did not—was stronger than any of the vessels that comprised the fleets of the two sides, and each could field a very formidable mobile suit team, with a total array of four dozen mobile suits at the fleet's disposal—including their four nuclear-powered machines.

The four ZAFT Gundams had transferred operations to the _Eternal_. The support ship, while it was overall the weakest in the fleet, was specifically designed to support the nuclear-powered mobile suits, as well as two of their brother units, the X13A and the X14A. The X11A and the X12A were out of the question, for some reason.

The Farsight III, meanwhile, had been completed and transferred from the _Archangel_ to the _Odin_. The five turncoat GINNs from Jachin Due had been upgraded aboard the _Kusanagi_, then divided amongst the ships of the Alaric Team.

The M1 Astrays had remained aboard the _Kusanagi_, while the Strike, Duel, Buster, Surge, Hellfire Blitz, Raven, Guardian, Talos II and Athena had remained aboard the _Archangel_.

A training exercise had been scheduled for the day. The GINN pilots needed to get used to the new upgrades, the Astray pilots had no experience in actual space combat, and Mu and Tolle didn't even have simulation experience in space operation.

The exercise was to be a vicious mock-battle involving all four dozen of their machines divided into individual 'sides'. The GINNs and Astrays comprised one side, the eighteen suits of the Alaric Team comprised three more, the _Archangel_ pilots and mobile suits comprised a fifth, and the four nuclear-powered mobile suits off of the _Eternal_ were each a 'side' by themselves. This resulted in five roughly balanced teams for the mock-battle, accompanied by four 'teams' that would require cooperation by their enemies to defeat. For the exercise, they would be using beam weapons and dummy missiles exclusively.

Makoto had privately pouted at that part—Athrun only lost his machine guns, and Erik lost pretty much nothing, while she was reduced to her beam sword and beam sabers! A part of her felt that it was unfair that she lost more than half of her weapons while everyone else got to keep the bulk of theirs. Nicol was the only one who lost as much or more than she did, but that was only because his machine was practically a walking flamethrower!

"_You may now begin the mock battle,_" announced Shizuka. The words had barely left her mouth before the four dozen mobile suits went to work. "_And remember, no Phase Shift Swords, Makoto!_"

* * *

The _Dominion_

Early morning, July 12th, C.E. 71

"Clotho Buer," muttered Natarle, inputting commands on her console. "Enhancement implants stage three. The biological CPU for the X370. All personal data deleted."

"Christian Balliet, stage three enhancement implants. Biological CPU for the X135. No personal data."

"Orga Sabnak. Biological CPU for the X131. Stage two enhancements. Also no personal data."

"Roslyn Nawda, stage three enhancements. Biological CPU for the X150… no personal data."

"Shani Andras. Stage four. Biological CPU for the X252. No personal data."

"Louisa Kohls. Enhancement stage six, biological CPU for the X264. All personal data deleted."

Natarle shook her head. She had been curious about those six pilots Azrael had brought on board. There was something… off about them, especially Andras and Kohls. They didn't seem to be normal soldiers. Then there was the extra medical personal that had come on board and taken over one of the med bays. But just looking them up in the ship's records led to only more questions.

"All six of them are classified as equipment," she whispered softly. "Not pilots. That means they're expendable. But why?"

It didn't make sense. Why were they be listed as 'Biological CPUs' for their mobile suits? Why were their personal records deleted? Was that how Azrael and her higher-ups saw these pilots? Just equipment?

"How much longer before we get to L4?" asked Azrael, interrupting her thoughts.

"We're almost there," replied Natarle. "But I'm still not convinced that we should be going there without any proof."

"My sources are accurate," assured Azrael, with a touch of arrogance he probably didn't even realize was there. "And that's all the proof we need. It's not as if we're going there based on nothing."

"But you can't trust information from the PLANTs! It could be a trap!" argued Natarle.

Truthfully, she did not wish to fight Captain Ramius and the rest of her former crewmembers aboard the _Archangel_. But, for now at least, she had no choice in the matter.

"The Freedom. The Justice. The Conviction. The Faith," said Azrael. "Those are the codenames of the four machines I'm interested in. Seven _Nazca_-class ships are on their tails. If we want a chance at those machines, we can't afford not to follow them to L4. Let me make one thing perfectly clear. You may be the captain, and the captain's role is to command this ship." Here, Azrael leaned on her chair's display screen and continued. "But above you, there are people whose role is to look at the larger picture, and make the appropriate decisions based on that knowledge. Now I believe you were told to listen to my suggestions, correct? I'd appreciate it if you didn't forget that detail again." With that, Azrael left the bridge.

"I hate that guy," commented Moreau once he was certain Azrael was gone.

"You think you're the only one?" asked the fire control officer, Chief Petty Officer James Adams. "Pardon me for saying so captain, but he's an arrogant son of a bitch who needs to be taken down a peg or two. At the very least, he needs to wipe that smug grin off his face and realize that we trust you more than him."

"I don't think he knows that," said Natarle. "And you're excused. I agree with you. I'm almost completely convinced that the original crew roster was largely made up of members of Blue Cosmos. I don't think Azrael is aware that I changed the roster."

"You think he's Blue Cosmos?" asked Pressly.

"I don't have any evidence, but my gut says yes," said Natarle. "I chose you for more than just your skill as soldiers. I chose all of you for my crew because I was certain you hadn't lost sight of what we should be fighting for. The PLANTs have won the independence they originally sought. Now, it falls to us to ensure they don't find some way to repay all of Earth in kind for the actions of Blue Cosmos that day."

"Don't worry ma'am," said Grissom. "We haven't lost sight of that, and I swear we never will."

"Thank you," said Natarle, with a slight smile. "But for now, we'll do as he says. I don't know what has really caught his interest, but for now at least, the best way we can protect the Earth is by following our orders."

* * *

Pilot's Lounge

The six biological CPUs knew they'd see action again soon, and against those machines from Orb no less. While they all looked forward to it, especially Louisa, they all knew that they'd be less than themselves once the battle began. Thus, all of them were taking the opportunity to relax while they could, even the fanatical Christian.

Each of them had their own ways of relaxing. Shani liked listening to music, while Clotho enjoyed playing video games. Orga read novels, Roslyn studied history, and Christian, perhaps typically, read the bible.

Louisa, on the other hand, had numerous hobbies. The youngest and strongest of the biological CPUs enjoyed dancing, practicing the martial arts she'd observed from Kazuo Endo, reading, writing music and drawing. Unable to properly pursue her physical hobbies aboard the _Dominion_, Louisa had spent virtually all her time on the ship drawing.

Shani glanced over mildly at Louisa. All of them were more sane when not in battle, but with Louisa, it was the most pronounced, as she seemed almost normal outside of battle, in opposition to the childish murderess she became in battle. His eyes strayed to the drawing, and he unconsciously leaned forward curiously when he saw it.

Louisa wasn't sure why she'd chosen to draw something like this. Actually, she wasn't even sure what she was drawing since she came aboard. Her first sketch had been of two young girls, perhaps five or six years old, playing together at a park. One, who she'd colored with azure eyes and pink hair, was obviously her. The second had been colored with red hair and green eyes, and Louisa had been amazed to realize the level of detail she'd put into the sketch.

All subsequent sketches had been like that, sometimes with other people who were only roughly sketched and colored, sometimes not, but always with those same two girls, a little older each time. One sketch had even involved the two girls kissing, looking about the age of thirteen or so.

That time, she hadn't drawn it properly, nor had she colored it properly, making it impossible to tell which of them had the surprised look on their face in opposition to the other's apparent enjoyment of the kiss.

Her most recent sketch was of the two girls fighting one another with katanas, looks of absolute rage twisting their features. Both of them wore miko outfits, which differed only in the color of the hakama. The Louisa-figure had a black hakama, while the other girl had an even more unusual silver one. The Louisa-figure also wore bracelets with dragonhead-shaped clasps, and had a bow slung across her back. The other girl had three more katanas sheathed on her back, and another three were sheathed at her sides, with a seventh sheath that it seemed was for her current weapon.

Louisa didn't pause as she filled in the background, not when Roslyn had absentmindedly asked what she was doing, not when the doctors came to see what they were doing, never. She didn't stop until she'd filled in the background and finished coloring it, just as a strange feeling flashed through her and the order to prepare for battle came.

* * *

Mendel Harbor

"So, how's the Talos held up?" asked Shizuka. Victor chuckled slightly.

"Very well," he said. "It's not my old machine, but it's a worthy successor."

"Hmmm… I don't think I'll understand this pilot inclination for growing attached to their machines simply because they piloted them for so long," said Shizuka mildly. "I mean, Makoto's attachment to the Dauntless makes sense, as does Kira's attachment to the Freedom. But Chris's attachment to the Raven… well, it just seems foolish to me."

"To you, maybe, but you're not a pilot either," said Victor. "When you're out there on the battlefield, risking your life with only the power of your machine and your own skills standing between you and death, you tend to become attached to that same machine."

"Well, since I'm not a pilot, I guess I'll just have to take your word for it," said Shizuka. "Have you and your twin told the other pilots of the Alaric Team?"

"Not yet," said Victor. "Well, I'm sticking with the _Archangel_. The people of the Alaric Team are my old comrades, yes, but the _Archangel_ crewmen are my comrades now. That ship has become something of a home to me."

"Heh, I bet you didn't see that coming when you first boarded the ship," said Shizuka with a giggle in the back of her throat similar to her niece's.

"Honestly? No, no I did not," said Victor. "Yes, I did genuinely want to help them, but I admit, I was also motivated by the mission John had given me. I wasn't lying when I'd said that I wouldn't be giving my technological discoveries to ZAFT, but I also never said that I wouldn't inform my old commander of just what they were capable of."

"None of us ever really doubted that," said Shizuka. "So, you've grown rather attached to them, huh?"

"Yeah," said Victor, taking a sip of the coffee he was holding. "Ah, best part of being on Earth or a colony. The ability to truly enjoy a good cup of coffee."

Shizuka laughed lightly at this.

"I'd like to thank you, personally, as well," said Victor suddenly, catching Shizuka off-guard. "You designed the active cloak. I appreciate that. I also appreciate your work on making the Farsight III for my brother."

"It was no trouble at all," said Shizuka. "Besides, it gave me a chance to study the GuAIZ. I like it, to be honest, and I'm sure Makoto would simply have adored it, if she weren't already in a machine that's covered in swords."

"Heh, you're right," said Victor. "Think she'll ever change?"

"Everyone is always changing, Victor," said Shizuka. "But that's an aspect of her I don't think will change." Suddenly, she turned to the ex-mercenary and smiled. "Say, since you enjoy coffee so much, when this is all over, there's this really great café at Orb I'd like to show you. The owner's a friend of mine, and is even more eccentric about coffee than you, your brother, or the Desert Tiger."

"I'll believe that when I see it," said Victor. "Very well, I accept your challenge to my love for coffee!"

"Oh no, not my challenge," said Shizuka. "You're challenge will be with the café owner. As for me, I'll stick with tea, like every other Taiyonoha."

Elsewhere, Makoto turned down a cup of coffee from a batch Andy and John had prepared together in favor of tea, earning twin cries of "Blasphemy!" from the two coffee addicts.

* * *

**Author's Note: I just had to include that final paragraph after Shizuka's comment about all Taiyonohas drinking tea. I thought it was hilarious, personally.**

**Anyways, here, we got to see another side to Louisa (to a limited extent). Like all BCPUs, she has her own "out-of-battle" hobby, and it's interesting to see her acting almost like a normal person (to an extent). And _seven Nazca_s on the tails of our heroes? Depending on just what mobile suits they're carrying, this spells trouble. And I make no mention of just what sort of force Azrael's brought along.**

**Anyways, despite the rather grim title, this chapter comes across with a somewhat light-hearted tone (as opposed to the grim tones that followed Kira and Makoto's "deaths"), though there's definitely some grim aspects, such as Flay's nightmare. For the record, I didn't include the Dauntless or Guardian because I really wasn't sure how to fit them in.**

**We also get a summary of just what sort of force the Clyne Faction Fleet is packing. At four dozen mobile suits--almost all of them possessing a remarkably high performance--they are, just as my description said, among the toughest single forces in space.**

**Anyways, to make up for the short chapter, the next one will be fairly long. It will encompass the same overall stuff as the corresponding chapter of _A Retelling_, which is about one and a half episodes of the anime. The chaotic Battle of Mendel approaches, along with all of the dark secrets hidden within the labs of GARM R&D.**

**On a sidenote, it's kind of amusing that this chapter and the previous one made no mention of Divinity, when it was pretty much mentioned in every chapter following the events at Alaska.**

**Alright, everyone, please leave a review! Ja ne!  
**


	31. Phase 30: Spiral of Encounters

**Damn, this chapter was hard to write. I'm exhausted. However, it's a nice, lengthy chapter, with a good battle in it. Just one thing to remember is that, in this particularly battle, as many as six different things written in different paragraphs can all be happening at once. This can make it all a little confusing, but it's still a pretty good battle, in my opinion. As hard as this chapter was to write, though, the next one will be even harder. Fortunately, the one after that should be easy. Though the one after that will also be hard. But, to give you all something to look forward too: chapter 33 and possibly a few after it will be original content. Between the events of Mendel and the Battle of Jachin Due, more than two months passed. I'm going to be filling in that gap, so there will be a long break from any major action, though you may get to see Kira, Chris, Makoto and the rest massacring grunt units, with a small chance that they may even get to fight the ZGMF-X11A Regenerate (though that's doubtful).**

**Something else I've been meaning to mention for awhile now: has no one noticed that, just like Zane, Erik's last name corresponds to a Universal Century villain? I didn't even realize it at the time, but "Saharin" is the last name of two characters from The 08th MS Team, specifically the main character's love interest and her insane brother who played primary antagonist. It's kind of funny, really, especially since I didn't even realize I'd done it until quite awhile later.  
**

**Anyways, I imagine I'm now boring everyone. *Sigh* Oh well, first off, specs for the Farsight III, although it doesn't see any real action.  
**

_"I'll admit it freely. This is a far more worthy successor to the Farsight then that GuAIZ was."_ – John Alaric, regarding the Farsight III.  
**Farsight III:**  
Description:  
The second Strike II unit, originally transferred to the _Archangel_ as a backup for Victor Cain's Talos II. After the _Eternal_ arrives at Mendel with the Alaric Team, this machine is instead completely and customized with equipment from the GuAIZ of Commander John Alaric, and is renamed Farsight III. Like the Talos II, the Farsight III also hardwires an Aile Sniper Striker to grant excellent mobility and create a versatile sniper unit, suited to the Black Hawk. However, with the added equipment of John's GuAIZ, the Farsight III has an overall higher performance than its brother unit.

**Model Number:** MBF-XX105+P202QX**  
Overall Height:** 17.88 meters**  
Weight:** 83.7 tons**  
Power Plant:** Ultracompact Energy Battery**  
Special Model Features:** Phase Shift Armor, Active Camouflage Defense Cloak, Aile Sniper Striker,**  
Fixed Armament:** 2x "Igelstellung" 75mm Automatic Multi-Barrel CIWS, fire-linked, mounted in head; 2x Beam Saber, stored in hips, hand-carried in use; 2x "Armor Schneider" Assault Knife, stored in forearms, hand-carried in use; 2x MA-M21E Beam Pistol, stored on upper arms, hand-carried in use; Beam Pistol, stored on Aile Sniper Striker, hand-carried in use; MA-M21S Long-Range Beam Piercer Rifle, stored in two components on ankles, combined and hand-carried in use; MA-MV03 Composite Shield: Dual Beam Claw, mounted on left arm;**  
Optional Hand Armament:** 60mm Long-Range Beam Sniper Rifle**  
Pilot:** John Alaric  
**Appearance:** Another Strike unit. Its Aile Sniper Pack is almost identical to the normal Aile Striker, save that it lacks the beam sabers. Instead, it holds the beam pistol where the left saber was, while the spot where the right one was is replaced with an improved sensor and targeting unit for the rifle. Its sniper rifle is similar to the sniper rifle of the Astray Blue Frame Second G.  
**Color:** Black with white trim. Two white strips running down the arms and legs. A white hawk on the right shoulder.  
**Notes:** This machine varies from Akatsuki Leader13's "Farsight II" in several ways, notably the addition of beam pistols, a GuAIZ shield, and an improved sniper rifle. The rifle was from John's custom GuAIZ, and is separated into two components. It's as strong as the 60mm rifle in terms of damage, but is more accurate and can pierce an anti-beam shield in one shot (still ineffective against the Forbidden's shields). However, it also has a slower rate-of-fire and will overheat if fired too much in too short a period of time.

**Also, the Talos II now has a pair of beam pistol-daggers mounted on its ankles, similar to the weapons of the Cherudim from Gundam 00.**

**Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply. I'm too tired to go with a full disclaimer today.  
**

* * *

Phase Thirty: Spiral of Encounters

July 12th, C.E. 71

* * *

_Eternal_ Hangar

"Makoto? Is something wrong?" asked Kira as the redhead in question entered the hangar massaging her temples.

"I'm not sure," she said. "I've just got a really weird feeling… something's about to happen."

Kira paused, frowning thoughtfully. "That sixth sense of yours acting up again?" he asked. Makoto shook her head.

"No," she said. "This is different. But whatever it is, I've got a really bad feeling about it."

* * *

The _Dominion_

Near the Mendel Colony

Natarle sat in her command chair, completely focused on what was coming. She glanced out the bridge windows at the _Dominion_'s escorts. Not one, not two, but _eight_ _Agememnon_-class warships, all filled to the brim with mobile suits.

"Are the suits you're after really strong enough to warrant this much force?" questioned Natarle.

"From what has been observed, we'd need several fleets worth of Strike Daggers to defeat all four of them," said Azrael. "No, the suits of those ships are to preoccupy their allies. They're not as strong, but they're still formidable. Sending ordinary mass-produced models after the machines I'm interested in is nothing more than sending those pilots to their deaths."

Natarle shook her head slightly. It wasn't even simply mass-produced models in those carriers. Aside from the next generation G-weapons, the _Dominion_ only carried GAT-01 Strike Daggers. While those made up the bulk of the task force's mobile forces, Natarle knew that there were also more advanced models hidden in the hangars of those carriers.

"Six warship silhouettes detected in the Mendel Colony harbor ma'am," announced Pressly. "One of them is confirmed to be the _Archangel_."

"Wow," commented Azrael. "You wouldn't think they'd have gathered so many allies in such a short period of time. Perhaps we should've brought along additional ships ourselves. Still, we shouldn't press our luck. Let's go ahead and get the fun and games started." Natarle sighed slightly, but concealed it from Azrael.

"Prepare the ship for battle," she ordered. "Activate the Igelstellungs and Valiants, load all missiles tubes with Sledgehammers." Her orders were swiftly carried out, the crew having spent much of their time practicing as they searched for the _Archangel_. Grissom alerted the escort carriers. "Aim Lohengrin. Target the first ship of the _Archangel_-class, the _Archangel_."

* * *

The _Archangel_

"Large heat sources approaching ma'am!" said Sai. "Look like warship-classes. Distance 700, orange eleven, mark eighteen alpha. Eight _Agamemnon_-class carriers and one unknown."

"All hands to Level One Battlestations!" ordered Murrue.

As the crews of the six vessels in the harbor rushed to bring the ships up to Level One Battlestations, a sudden explosion shook the colony.

"_Archangel_, taking off," said Murrue. "We've got to get outside."

"_Captain Ramius,_" came Kisaka's voice.

"What's the _Kusanagi_'s status?" she asked.

"_We're ready to launch,_" said Kisaka.

"_We're still making a few final adjustments to the _Eternal_,_" said Andy.

"_The _Odin _is good to go,_" added John. "_But both the _Valkyrie_ and the _Einherjar_ are trapped by debris from the shot. They need some time before they can get out._"

"Understood," said Murrue as the _Archangel_ began to move out of the harbor. "Activate the Igelstellungs and Valiants. Load all aft missile tubes."

"Makoto, looks like you were right," said Kira, shutting his visor as the Conviction moved to the _Eternal_'s catapult.

"_Yeah, but I wish I wasn't,_" said Makoto. "_This attack came much sooner than we expected. And they're not holding back anything against us here, either._"

Suddenly, a new voice came over the comm.

"_This is the Earth Alliance Forces mobile assault ship _Dominion_,_" said the familiar voice. "Archangel_, do you read me?_"

Those that had served with the _Archangel_ before JOSH-A were all stunned.

"_Your ship has been listed as a renegade vessel and we therefore demand your immediate and unconditional surrender,_" continued the voice of Natarle Badgiruel. "_Should you fail to abide by these orders, we will have no choice but to destroy you._"

"Captain, we have a visual image of the enemy task force," said Mir, putting the image on screen, and transmitting it to the five ships back in the harbor and all their mobile suits.

"The _Archangel_," gasped Murrue at the sight of the darker-colored copy of her ship.

At that moment, the bridge of the _Dominion_ was displayed to them, revealing the face of Natarle Badgiruel.

"_It's been awhile, Captain Ramius,_" she said.

"Yes, it has," replied Murrue.

"_I regret that we have to meet again under these circumstances,_" said Natarle.

"Same here," replied Murrue.

"_I heard about what happened at Alaska,_" continued Natarle. "_However, I strongly suggest that you surrender and talk things over with Military Command. I don't know what help I can be, but I'll do everything I can to assist you. I know you're well aware of what this ship is capable of doing. Please, let me help you._"

In the Faith's cockpit, Makoto frowned, and activated a private comm. link with the _Eternal_'s bridge, where both of her aunts were located.

"Aunt Serenity, did you catch that?" she asked.

"_Yeah, I did,_" said Serenity.

"_What are you talking about?_" asked Athrun.

"_We'll explain later,_" said Lacus, evidently having caught it as well.

Meanwhile, Murrue replied to Natarle.

"Natarle, thank you, but we cannot do that," she said. "This isn't only about what happened at Alaska, or even what happened to Orb. We have serious doubts about the entire Earth Alliance as a whole. Therefore, there will be no surrender and no return to the military."

"_Oh, this is so amusing,_" came another voice, accompanied by the clapping of hands. The smug arrogance in it made even Kira and Lacus feel inclined to at least inflict horribly bodily injury on the owner. "_You should be embarrassed, Miss Captain. If we could solve everything by talking, there would be no conflict in this world. Enemies are made through misunderstandings. Once that happens, all that can be done is to shoot them before they shoot you._"

"_Director Azrael!_" said Natarle, her tone one of protest. The _Dominion_ bridge crew had to restrain the urge to attack the man.

Everyone aboard the six ships fell silent for a moment.

"_Calamity, Deliverance, Supremacy, Forbidden, Twilight and Raider! Launch!_" came Azrael's voice again. "_Today, we destroy the 'indestructible _Archangel_'!_"

"Isn't Azrael …?" said Miriallia.

"The leader of Blue Cosmos?" finished Neumann.

"Yes," said Murrue, her eyes narrowing in anger.

Inside the cockpit of the Raven, Chris tightened his grip on the Raven's controls as he watched things unfold on his screens. The leader of that damned organization was here. The monster responsible for the Bloody Valentine was here.

_Focus. Focus damn it. Now is not the time for revenge. Stay focused and keep everyone alive_, he thought to himself.

"_Makoto, stay focused,_" said Shizuka suddenly, surprising everyone. "_Don't get wrapped up in the past._"

"_I have no regrets seeing a Blue Cosmos agent dead,_" said Makoto coolly. "_But I'm not gonna lose myself. I put that behind me._"

On the _Dominion_, Natarle cut the channel. There was no other option now, not that she'd ever believed there was one. And she now had confirmation of just who Azrael was.

"_What was that about?_" asked Liz as the _Eternal_'s mobile suits launched and exited the harbor.

"_Let's just say Makoto still has her secrets,_" said Serenity. "_One's we were worried might cause problems when she had an actual shot at the leader of Blue Cosmos._"

"Watch out for debris," ordered Murrue as the _Archangel_'s own mobile suit team took off. "Those metopolymer tethering strings are especially dangerous.

"_The _Archangel _and the _Kusanagi _should engage the Dominion and it's escorts directly,_" said John as the _Kusanagi_ and _Odin_ began to move out of the harbor, preparing to launch their own suits. Behind them, the _Valkyrie_ and the _Einherjar_ deployed their suits to clear away debris.

"What about the Odin?" asked Murrue.

Appearing on the main screen, John grinned. "_Don't worry,_" he said. "_I got something special cooked up._"

"Those guys again," said Erik as they caught sight of the six Gundams they'd fought in Orb.

"Calamity, Deliverance, Supremacy, Forbidden, Twilight, Raider," said Makoto. "So that's what they're called."

"This'll be tough," said Kira.

At the same time, the _Kusanagi_ slowly moved from its mooring to join the battle.

"Accelerate to full speed once we're outside, ordered Cagalli. "We'll cover the _Archangel_'s port flank."

"Roger that."

The _Odin _slipped out just behind it. But instead of going to engage the Earth Alliance ships, it seemingly pulled away from the battle.

"Captain!" said Pressly. "One of the _Nazca_-class warships appears to be fleeing the area."

"What?" questioned Natarle.

Azrael chuckled. "I guess not all of their allies are as brave as them," he said smugly.

Natarle didn't say anything. It was unlikely that they were fleeing. No doubt, they were trying to hide and ambush them. But if they defeated the _Archangel_ and the other ship before they were in position, it would be meaningless.

Well, not that Natarle really wanted that. Whatever it was about those suits that had caught Azrael's interest, she really didn't want the leader of Blue Cosmos to get his hands on it.

* * *

Mendel Airspace

The six Biological CPUs saw their primary targets almost immediately. As much as they wanted to just demolish them, though, they had to remember their orders. If they failed, they feared they'd be subjected to the punishment again.

Well, Louisa was an exception. She had every desire to capture the silver mobile suit. She wanted to see the face of the one who'd captured her heart.

She wanted to see the expression on that face when she claimed their heart for herself.

Orga acted first, firing the Schlag cannons at the four machines, which broke apart, easily avoiding the twin beams as the other five followed.

"_They want these things intact,_" said Clotho.

"_How about just one?_" asked Shani.

"_That better be enough,_" said Christian. "_Cause I don't think I can stop myself from killing at least that many!_"

"Do what you want, but let me play with Miss Silver over there on my own," said Louisa girlishly. Even Christian shuddered slightly as he recalled the differences in behavior she displayed.

"_Miss_ Silver?" Roslyn asked herself quietly. "What makes her think that pilot's a woman?"

The Forbidden fired on the Justice with its plasma induction cannon, Athrun defending with his shield and returning fire. But unlike the Freedom, the Justice lacked any truly powerful solid-projectile weapons, and the attack did nothing against the scythe-wielder. However, that wasn't Athrun's only problem, as the Deliverance opened up with both double gatlings at the Justice, forcing the red mobile suit to dance through the hail of beam bullets and guided plasma beams.

Kira was having an easier time of things than Athrun, faced with only the Supremacy. Regardless, the Supremacy was still a formidable foe, even if it was the successor to a machine with which Kira was intimately familiar. The Supremacy fired its rifle and anti-ship vulcan on the Freedom, Kira deftly evading and returning fire with the Balaena. Roslyn growled as she dodged the beams, and shifted the rifle to the Supremacy's left hand, grabbing a beam saber from her machine's hip, and charging the Freedom.

Kira blocked the slash of the saber with his shield and twisted out of the path of the beam rifle, spinning around and kicking the Supremacy away. He then opened fire with both Xiphias on the Strike-successor.

"Bastard!" shouted Roslyn as she righted her machine, grabbing hold the Agni and firing on the Freedom, only to watch as the agile mobile suit dodged the blast.

"You! You're terminated!" shouted Clotho, firing the Raider's shield cannon on the Conviction as Orga opened up with the Calamity's entire arsenal. Erik grit his teeth, dodging the barrage from both mobile suits and firing half his backpack-mounted turrets at each, raising the Praemium to fire at the Calamity while gunning for the Raider with the Vitiosus.

"This son of a bitch is tough!" said Orga as the two Earth Forces mobile suits exchanged fire with the Conviction, Clotho being cautious when attacking with his Mjollnir. "Come on, why can't you all just… DIE!" The Calamity let loose a full barrage, which Erik only just barely dodged.

"I think someone needs a chill pill," said Erik. The Raider's Mjollnir flew at him, and Erik fired on it with his CIWS. Although he was in a position to do so, destroying the Mjollnir would've been a big risk, and there was a better method of dealing with it.

The head of the spherical breaker slowed by the CIWS barrage, Erik deflected it with his shield, sending it crashing into the chest of the Calamity.

"You! You're the one!" said Makoto as she dodged fire from the Twilight's Skorpion cannons. "Why? Why can I feel you the same way Mu feel's Le Creuset?"

The Faith returned fire with all its weapons, forcing the Twilight back, Louisa spinning her machine through a dizzying series of maneuvers that isolated the two combatants in a broken field of Mirage Colloid particles.

"It's just the two of us today!" said Louisa gleefully. "I never wanna stop playing! But we'll have too. I want… give me your heart, just as you've taken mine!"

The Twilight's staff crashed against the Faith's Ensis swords.

As the _Kusanagi_ prepared to enter the battle, Cagalli quickly surveyed the area to see where the ship needed to go first. The _Archangel_ and its forces were already taking on the _Dominion_, which left the eight _Agamemnon_-class warships sitting quietly, apparently doing nothing more than fulfilling their role as carriers.

"Engage the closest _Agamemnon_-class first," ordered Cagalli. "Aim for its engines!"

But suddenly the entire ship jerked to a complete halt, as though it had collided with an invisible wall. Everyone on the bridge was nearly thrown around

"What happened?" asked Kisaka.

"Sir, we've been snared by some kind of cable! It's wrapped around the port engine section!" answered the helmsman.

"Break free!" ordered Kisaka.

"We can't, we're already at maximum thrust!"

Kisaka growled in frustration. The _Kusanagi_ would be a sitting duck until it got freed.

"Asagi! Get out there and cut whatever's trapping the ship!" he ordered.

"_Roger,_" came the reply.

Asagi quickly left the _Kusanagi_, seeking to find where the ship was entangled and get it free. She only hoped that she had enough time.

While the Earth Forces Gundams preoccupied the _Eternal_'s mobile suits and the _Kusanagi_ remained trapped, the _Dominion_ and three dozen Strike Daggers headed for the _Archangel_.

However, the _Archangel_'s own mobile suits were waiting.

"Eat this, you punks!" said Yzak, opening up with his rifle, railgun and missiles on the Strike Daggers, destroying a trio almost instantly.

The Buster combined its weapons and formed its anti-armor shotgun, firing on a Strike Dagger that tried to retreat behind a small asteroid. The space rock was blown apart by Dearka's attack, and the Strike, equipped with the Lightning Striker, finished it with a shot from the electromagnetic cannon.

Precisely aimed beams lanced out from seemingly nowhere, destroying one Strike Dagger after another. Meanwhile, Tolle took aim with the Athena's shield-mounted pulse rifle and opened up on a formation of Earth Forces mobile suits, tracing them as they began to evade the repeating stream of light beam fire.

The Surge's Hakenfurst flew free, piercing the cockpit of one Strike Dagger as Saul fired on three more, though he only hit two of them.

"Damn, maybe Nicol's right," said Saul, drawing the claw back in. "I can't believe I missed that loser."

Grabbing the Surge's swords, Saul punched his machine's burst thrusters to maximum, closing in on the Dagger in the blink of an eye and cutting it apart, before Saul continued on to attack several more.

The Guardian and Raven, both in mobile armor mode, tag-teamed a formation of Strike Daggers, the Dante siblings demonstrating the same remarkable teamwork that allowed them to defeat their ZAFT counterparts several times on Earth.

The Daggers dodged bullets from the Raven, only to fly straight into the path of the Guardian's more powerful weapons. The fighter-like armor deployed its wings and started spinning through the ZAFT formation. The Daggers broke apart, avoiding the deadly blades, but the Raven appeared behind one, Ahura Mazda deployed, slicing the mobile suit in three before Chris transformed his machine to mobile suit mode and started firing his shield cannon at two more.

Perhaps most deadly, though, was the Hellfire Blitz. Strike Daggers fired on the demonic mobile suit, only for the beams to splash harmlessly against its dispersion field. Other Daggers tried closing in with beam sabers, but instead encountered the deadly anti-personnel Jigokuhi flamethrowers. Combined with its PS armor, these abilities alone made the scythe-wielder virtually invulnerable. And all the while, Nicol fought back with both the Jigokuogama and the Shi no Hashi.

However, while the Strike Daggers were all swiftly and easily dealt with, two dozen more mobile suits came in, a different model than the Strike Daggers, all of them equipping Launcher or Sword Striker packs, and proving far more powerful than the machines they'd been facing.

Elsewhere, Shani was ignoring their present orders concerning the capture of the Freedom, Justice, Conviction and Faith, and instead heading for the trapped _Kusanagi_.

"Shani, where are you going?" demanded Clotho. "Ugh, that dumbass!"

Asagi didn't need to search long before she had found the cable that had the ship immobilized. Pulling out a beam saber, she cut into the cable, melting it away layer by layer. However, due the material it was made of and its thickness, she had no idea how long it was going to take her.

Suddenly out the corner of her eye, a dark shape loomed out of nowhere. She quickly recognized it as one of the enemy Gundams from the battle back at Orb. It was right in her face, and there was no time or means to dodge or even fight back. The Forbidden reeled back its Nidhoggr scythe, ready to slice her Astray to pieces. However, just before the scythe was swung, the flightpack of the Justice slammed into the Forbidden, sending it flying. The Justice rose in front of the Fatum-00, which reattached to the red Gundams back.

"Don't just sit there!" shouted Athrun. "Hurry and get the ship loose!"

"_R-right,_" replied Asagi, wasting no time in getting back to work.

In the cockpit of the Justice, a proximity alarm rang out. Athrun saw the Forbidden was returning, this time focusing on him. Drawing and combining his beam sabers, he charged forward to answer the challenge.

Elsewhere, Erik had his hands full, now taking on the Calamity and Deliverance, with the Raider moving off to confront the Freedom. Although most artillery suits were extremely vulnerable in close combat, the Conviction was an exception, putting the Raider at an extreme disadvantage. The combination of two artillery suits, though, had Erik on edge.

The Deliverance fired a barrage of missiles on the Conviction, which Erik gunned down with his beam turrets, only to find himself running through a series of dizzying evasive maneuvers, dodging bullets from the Deliverance and beams from the Calamity. The Deliverance closed to melee range with the Conviction and attacked with its beam sabers, which remained in the wrist armor, restricting their movements. Nevertheless, Erik was forced back, and returned fire with the Praemium and Terminus. The Deliverance dodged both. A proximity alarm warned Erik of an incoming attack, and he dodged the nearly point-blank fire from the Calamity's Schlag and Scylla cannons, only for Orga to take aim with the more accurate Todesblock and Kaefer Zwei, the solid-projectile weapons impacting against the Conviction's backpack. While the damage from the Kaefer Zwei was negligible, the impact from the plasma-sabot bazooka inflicted some impressive damage, badly jarring the Conviction.

The battle between the Faith and the Twilight was little more than a distorted image to all of the observers, the two machines encased in a sphere of the Twilight's wing scattered Mirage Colloid particles. This also served to blind Makoto too much of what was going on outside, and Louisa's vicious assault kept even the combination of the gifted redhead and the Faith on edge.

The Twilight fired a barrage of missiles and railgun rounds at the Faith, most of which Makoto gunned down with her Picus and Penna cannons. The Twilight's Skorpion cannon fired on the Faith, and Makoto blocked the shot with the shield of the Exia Kai II, before returning fire with the Exia's rifle function. Louisa blocked this return shot with her left Drache Schild, and when she lowered the shield, she saw the Faith's heat rod lashing out towards her. Louisa fired her right Drache Schild at the Faith.

The two extending weapons passed each by, the Extraxi wrapping around the Twilight, while the Drache Schild crashed into the Faith's torso and clamped down. Both pilots activated the electrical functions of their weapons, but the power of the Drache Schild's was far greater than that of the Extraxi.

"Argh!" screamed Makoto as the electricity coursed through her machine. Gritting her teeth through the pain, Makoto pulled back on the control lever, hoping to move away and break free.

To the surprise of both combatants, the Faith suddenly spread its wings, eyes flashing to life, and in a sudden burst of speed, started flying backwards, tearing free of the Drache Schild and yanking the Twilight forward, sending both machines tumbling out of the Mirage Colloid sphere.

"What? How did you do that?" questioned Louisa, tilting her head curiously, unconcerned by the fact that her opponent's seeming immunity to her Drache Schild put her at a potentially critical disadvantage. Soon, Louisa was giggling. "Yes, don't stop!"

Makoto was as surprised as her opponent. Quickly checking the control systems over, she found that they were unaffected by the attack. But she remembered Athrun and Liz saying that the electrical burst had scrambled the OS controls of their own machines. What was going on here?

Simultaneously, Kira had his own hands full taking on both the Raider and Supremacy. The two enemy machines were flying circles around him, but he did what he could to take shots at them when they drifted into his sights. The Supremacy came to a sudden halt, aiming its Agni. Kira had a guess as to what was about to happen, and decided to follow Erik's strategy. He tried to take the chance this apparent opening gave, when a second alarm rang, just as he knew it would. He looked to see the Raider's Mjolnir hammer was coming right at him full speed. He fired the Freedom's Picus vulcans, hitting the weapon to try and slow down its momentum. Lacking the sheer number of guns the Conviction had, it nevertheless worked, if only just barely, but it was enough. Swinging his shield, he batted away the hammer in the same manner Erik had, causing it to strike the Supremacy straight in its torso.

This, however, only served to enrage both pilots. The Raider transformed to MA mode and charged, firing all of its weapons on the Freedom. Kira dodged the bulk of the fire and prepared to counter, but the Supremacy opened fire on him as well, giving the Raider an opening to close in and attack with the Ahura Mazda. Kira deflected the plasma claws with his shield, but the Supremacy suddenly appeared in front of him, swinging the Schwert Gewehr. Kira barely got his shield up in time, but the force of the blow sent the Freedom momentarily tumbling through space.

Before Kira could right himself, the head of the Raider's Mjollnir came flying at him, slamming into the Freedom's chest. Simultaneously, a barrage of missiles was launched from the _Dominion_, seemingly guaranteed to strike the Freedom and leave it open to capture by the Supremacy and Raider.

* * *

Elsewhere

On the other side of Mendel, seven _Nazca_-class destroyers had arrived unseen. Along with Zane, Ades and Shiho, Rau could see the battle unfolding in front of them.

"Well, look at what we have here," commented the Commander with a well-concealed smirk. "The curtain's been raised on this little show."

Ades looked up from his console. "The _Eternal_ and the Alaric Team are definitely there, along with two other vessels, one of which happens to be the legged ship. It seems that the Earth Forces have eight _Agamemnon_-class carriers, but the other is unknown right now."

Rau took a look at the console and then back out the bridge's windows.

"Whatever the case, until we've a better understanding of what's going on, it'll be best if we stay out of it for now," he said, rising from his seat. "However, Shiho, Zane, and I will enter the colony and gather information."

Ades was taken aback. "You're going personally, sir?" he asked.

The Commander nodded. "I want the _Noin_, the _Helderton_, the _Voltaire_, the _Rousseau_, the _Burton_ and the _Heusinger_ to remain here," he ordered. "If all goes well, we can easily bring a number of matters to a close. Now, get my GuAIZ ready."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

Mendel Airspace

Mu suddenly felt a familiar feeling race up his spine. A feeling he hadn't felt since Alaska. And he knew exactly what the cause of it was. Le Creuset was here. Mu turned around and headed back towards the colony, flying past the Raven and the Duel.

"_Commander La Flaga!_" Yzak called out. "_Where are you going?_"

"Come with me," ordered Mu. "There are ZAFT forces close by!"

_Zane_, thought Chris as he turned and followed the Strike. _The Commander was always going about how he always knew when Le Creuset was around. And if he's around, Zane's not too far._

Yzak was bewildered by Mu's claim. He wondered how La Flaga could actually know if ZAFT forces were nearby. However, if he was correct and a ZAFT force had followed the _Eternal_ and the Alaric Team here, then they had to act now, before they found themselves pinned between ZAFT and the Alliance. Yzak briefly pondered calling the others, but decided they were needed out here, and followed after the Strike and the Raven.

The three mobile suits rushed back to the Mendel harbor, passing the _Eternal_ and the two _Nazca_-class vessels, and proceeding deeper into the colony.

* * *

Meanwhile

In the cockpit of the Faith, Makoto smirked, sensing Kira's violet light begin to swirl at dizzying speeds.

An amethyst jewel seed rushed through Kira's mind and shattered.

In an instant, the Freedom's cannons snapped to Full Burst position as Kira locked onto every single missile and swatted them from the sky, to the shock of Roslyn and Clotho.

"Take this!" shouted Clotho, recovering first. "Pulverize!" The Raider fired the head of the Mjollnir at the Freedom, and Kira was unable to dodge after dealing with the barrage from the _Dominion_.

Suddenly, the Calamity appeared behind the Freedom.

"It's okay as long as the body's intact!" said Orga, opening fire on the Freedom as the Supremacy opened up with its rifle, cannon and weapons pod.

"Kira!" cried Makoto, but before she could move to assist, the Twilight again struck at the Faith, Makoto barely raising the Exia in time to catch the latest attack.

"Damn it, what's with this bastard?" exclaimed Erik as the Deliverance began a wild assault in all directions, keeping the Conviction in place even without the Calamity's support. "Is he trying to waste all his ammunition?"

"Damn it!" shouted Kira, knocking away the Supremacy's Midas Messer only to find the Raider firing on him with its machineguns. Kira evaded that fire, and suddenly spotted the Supremacy's Panzer Eisen coming his way. He fired on it with his railguns, blasting it away, but had to pull back as the Calamity's Schlag fired on him three times in quick succession.

"Kira!" cried Athrun, seeing his friend's plight. Teeth grit, utterly fed up with the Forbidden, Athrun drew one of his Bassel beam boomerangs and threw it at the Forbidden. Shani raised his shields in defense, and the blade cut across them. When Shani moved the shields out of his line of sight, the Justice was in front of him, swinging its beam staff and cutting off the end of the Forbidden's scythe.

The scythe-wielder momentarily dealt with, Athrun did a fast burn for the Freedom.

Kira fired a barrage from all his weapons, hoping to at least buy some breathing room, but the trio of biological CPUs would have none of it, the Supremacy charging in with both sabers in hand.

Kira blocked and parried the two sabers, but the Raider charged in, Ahura Mazda active once more. Realizing the vulnerability he was about to face, Kira still had no choice as he defended with his shield, giving the Calamity an opening, the artillery suit not hesitating at all in firing its Scylla on the Freedom.

A green jewel seed rushed through Athrun's mind and shattered behind his eyes.

The Justice suddenly appeared in front of the Freedom, blocking the Scylla blast with its shield. With a cry of anger, Athrun rushed forward, slamming his shield into the still firing chest of the Calamity.

An explosion engulfed the Justice's shield and the Calamity's chest, knocking the two machines apart, Athrun's crazy maneuver catching all of the observers completely by surprise.

* * *

Inside Mendel

The GuAIZ and two CGUEs flew through the colony interior. Rau smirked as they traveled. Everything thing was shaping out nicely. He now had the means to supply Azrael with the data he had obtained from his contacts in Aprilius One.

Though a small part of Rau—the part that could still be considered an ordinary man—would miss the young girl who'd served as his unwilling assistant for the better part of two months. Still, Rau smirked. Soon her real purpose would be fulfilled. The final door would open. And at here of all places. It was certainly poetic. Mankind's end would begin here, the place that symbolizes Mankind's desires. Mankind's greed. Mankind's true self.

Suddenly, the Strike, the Raven and the Duel appeared, flying towards them.

"The Duel?" questioned Shiho quietly, making sure her companions couldn't hear. "Is Yzak fighting for them now?"

"That CGUE… Shiho?" questioned Yzak, catching sight of the deep blue mobile suit.

The six machines exchanged fire before the groups passed each other, breaking apart, each turning to face their own opponent.

"It's been awhile Chris," said Zane, firing his new beam rifle on the Raven. "There's no one to save you here, like at Alaska. You aren't gonna win this time!"

"Bring it on Zane," replied Chris, firing back with his railgun. "I don't need Kira's help to beat you!"

Rau turned his attention to the Strike, somewhat surprised that the trigger of his sixth sense was there. Nevertheless, his smirk widened.

"I see," he said. "So you're the one piloting that machine now, Mu La Flaga!"

Mu fired the electromagnetic cannon at the GuAIZ, but Rau was too fast for him, evading the shots with ease.

"A GuAIZ? Damn, I don't think I can beat it with this equipment," muttered Mu. Although the Gunbarrel Striker would've been appropriate for him, Mu had wanted to go with something that would allow him to operate throughout the battle outside.

Meanwhile, the Duel and the DEEP Arms flew past each other several times, aiming at each other, but neither one firing.

* * *

Mendel Airspace

The _Archangel_ maneuvered after the _Dominion_, firing on its black sister ship with the Gottfrieds. The _Dominion_ evaded the shot, and returned fire with missiles and Valiants. Neumann dodged this return fire, as the assault ship returned fire with the same weapons.

Meanwhile, the Faith and Conviction broke away from the Twilight and Deliverance, moving closer to the Freedom and Justice.

"They can't possibly last much longer," said Makoto, panting as she held the Ensis swords at the ready.

The four Gundams broke apart as the Calamity, Deliverance, Supremacy and Raider fired on them. Suddenly, another beam tore through the battlefield. Everyone turned to see the Forbidden flying towards them, plasma cannon firing in rapid succession, the beams bending erratically and coming dangerously close to Shani's allies.

"What the hell is wrong with you, idiot?" demanded Roslyn. The Freedom flipped over and fired its Balaena at the Forbidden, but the plasma beams were deflected by the Gundam's shields and Kira dodged away from the return fire.

"_It's his fault!_" shouted Shani, chasing after the Justice.

"That guy's out of control," said Athrun as he evaded the wild fire from the Forbidden.

The Freedom drew a beam saber and flew down in front of the Forbidden, slashing at the defensive mobile suit. Shani dodged away, but the Faith suddenly appeared in front of his machine, aiming the Exia straight into the Hresvelgr.

Makoto pulled the trigger, and the Forbidden's cannon exploded, damaging the backpack and badly jarring Shani.

Meanwhile, Asagi finished cutting the _Kusanagi_ free.

"_Sorry,_" she said. "_That was really tough._"

"Thanks," said Kisaka. "We appreciate it."

"Maximum forward thrust!" ordered Cagalli. "At the _Dominion_! Don't get us caught again!"

The Deliverance fired on the Justice, the Raider attacked the Freedom, and the Calamity opened up on the Conviction as the Supremacy appeared before the Faith, swinging its Schwert Gewehr.

An emerald jewel seed rushed through Makoto's mind and shattered behind her eyes.

In the blink of an eye, the Faith grabbed its Ensis swords and crossed them, catching the Schwert Gewehr. Makoto then pulled out, causing the two blades to cut the anti-ship sword in half. The Partis railguns then snapped into position and fired repeatedly into the Supremacy's belly, knocking the Strike-successor away. Roslyn tried to grab her Agni cannon, but the moment she did so, the Extraxi wrapped around it and pulled it free, an electrical burst causing the cannon to explode.

_A nova of light…_ thought Makoto, pupils dilated and irises engulfing her eyes. _Zane… Zane is here… and…_

The Faith turned to face the Twilight, which had merely been observing up till now. The pilot activated her machine's beam staff and charged the Faith. Makoto replaced the Ensis on the Faith's hips and drew the Vesica to block the Twilight's charge.

_An azure light? So she's like us…_ thought Makoto. _But then… why couldn't I see it before? Can I see it now because it's happened to me too?_

The Freedom flew towards the Faith as the Supremacy again tried to attack it. The Raider, chasing after him, shot its hammer his way. Kira dodged it, and Makoto suddenly flipped over, deploying the blade of the Exia Kai II and cutting the Mjollnir in half.

"You've already lost!" shouted Erik, exchanging fire with the Calamity. "How can you idiots not see that?"

Back aboard the _Dominion_, Erik's point was driven home.

The _Kusanagi_ opened fire on the _Dominion _with its Gottfrieds and missiles. The _Archangel_ fired its own missiles, Gottfrieds, and the Valiants.

And suddenly, appearing out of nowhere on the left flank of the Alliance battelgroup, Farsight and the _Odin_'s GuAIZs emerged, firing on the Alliance carriers. Behind, the _Odin_ emerged from behind an asteroid, adding its fire to the battle, gunning for the _Dominion_ as well.

The _Dominion_ shook as several missiles and high-power beams impacted its hull.

"Captain! Orb and ZAFT warships and mobile suits approaching!" announced Pressly.

"Oh my. It's seems they've come to the _Archangel_'s rescue," commented Azrael.

The _Kusanagi_'s Gottfrieds fired at the _Dominion_ again. But Moreau managed to evade the beams.

"We're temporarily retreating! Fire the retreat signal!" ordered Natarle.

This stunned Azrael. "What?"

"At this point, we've completely lost the upper hand," explained Natarle.

"But we had them on the ropes!" objected Azrael.

"I don't think we ever did," said Natarle. "The _Nazca_-class fled as the battle started. They weren't running, they were using all the debris around the colony to mask their presence as they moved to flank us. Those machines defending the _Archangel_ have been whittling down the Daggers we the energy levels on your six machines are getting critically low. If we don't fallback, we'll be destroyed."

"So what you're saying is, let's run away today and win another day?" said Azrael, a smirk forming on his face.

"Are you really that eager to die?" replied Natarle.

The _Dominion_ fired its flares. The surviving Daggers and Strike Daggers withdrew, returning to their ships. The Calamity, Supremacy and Raider started to head back.

"Ugh, I guess our time's up," said Orga.

"_It looks that way,_" replied Clotho as he shifted the Raider to mobile armor mode.

But their teammates seemed less than willing to retreat. Christian was like a berserker, swinging his beam sabers at the Freedom wildly while Shani kept on firing his railguns and machine cannons at the Justice. But Kira and Athrun were more than able to dodge their attacks. The Twilight, meanwhile, had ceased its attacks and seemed to be simply looking at the Faith in a fashion that almost seemed longing.

The trio pulled up alongside their unbalanced teammates.

"Christian, Shani!" Orga called out.

"_We have orders to withdraw, dimwits,_" said Clotho before rocketing for the _Dominion_.

"_Screw that! I'm not stopping until these punks are dead!_" Christian shouted back.

"_That guy, do you know what he did?_" demanded Shani.

"We have to retreat! Do you want them to punish us again?" Orga shot back.

Shani's eyes widened in fear, and even Christian backed down. Neither of them wanted to feel that pain again, and Christian knew Azrael wouldn't spare him like he had at Orb.

"_Now let's go!_" said Roslyn, turning to the _Dominion_ with the others, the Twilight turning and following.

With their enemies retreating, Kira, Makoto, Athrun and Erik breathed sighs of relief, along with many of their comrades.

_Miss Natarle…_ thought Kira, watching the machines go as his eyes faded to normal, along with Makoto and Athrun's.

"_Kira,_" came Athrun's voice as the Justice pulled up alongside the Freedom.

"Athrun, are you okay?" asked Kira.

"_Yeah,_" said Athrun.

"_But those six pilots are really…_" interjected Erik.

Kira nodded. "I felt the same way in Orb," he said.

"_It's hard to believe they're regular military,_" said Athrun softly.

"Yeah, but there's something else," said Kira. "I don't think those six are Naturals."

His words shocked almost everyone present. _Almost_.

"Yeah, Kira's right," said Makoto. "I've had a bad feeling about them since I first laid eyes on those machines."

* * *

Inside Mendel

_Is this how Kira and Athrun felt?_ wondered Yzak. _Shiho…_

_Yzak… is that you in there?_ thought Shiho, lifting her machine gun and firing. The Duel dodged, Shiho watching its movements carefully. She raised the thermal cannons and fired, and the Duel dodged and blocked exactly as she expected. She lowered her weapons.

"Yzak, is that you in there?" she asked, opening a radio transmission.

"_Shiho…_" came Yzak's voice. "_Yeah, it's me._"

"I thought so," said Shiho, smiling in relief. "I'm glad you're okay… but please, tell me what's going on."

The Duel's cockpit suddenly opened. "_Face-to-face,_" said Yzak. "_I think that would be for the best._"

"Okay," said Shiho, opening her CGUE's cockpit. "Face-to-face."

With that, the two machines descended towards the colony ground.

* * *

Outside Mendel

The Freedom, Justice, Faith and Conviction arrived at the harbor as the _Archangel_, the _Kusanagi_ and the _Odin_ entered it.

"How is everyone?" asked Kira.

"_We're alright. But we lost contact with Mu, Chris and Yzak inside the colony,_" replied Murrue. "_Mu said that ZAFT was here and they went to investigate._"

"Okay," said Kira. "I'll go find them. Meanwhile, you can resupply and make repairs."

"_Nothing's wrong with the Justice,_" said Athrun. "_I'll go as well._"

"_No,_" said Kira. "_I think the Alliance may not have made a complete withdrawal just yet. You guys better stay here for now._"

"_You sure?_" asked Erik.

"_I'll be fine,_" said Kira. "_I'll stay out of trouble._"

"Kira, wait," said Makoto. "I don't care what anyone says to the contrary, I'm going with you. ZAFT is here, I'm sure of it. And if they're here, there's a possibility that one or more of the remaining prototypes could be here. Better safe than sorry. Erik and Athrun can hold things together till we get back."

"_Yeah, you're right,_" said Kira. "_Sorry, I'd forgotten about those other Gundams for awhile._"

"You're forgiven. Let's go," said Makoto as the Freedom and the Faith both made their way towards the colony interior.

"You didn't try to stop them," commented Shizuka, looking at Serenity. "Don't tell me you've already told them."

"Told them what?" asked Lacus, looking between them in confusion. Serenity's face was filled with sorrow, regret, and self-loathing.

"I didn't," she said, answering Shizuka.

"_What?_" demanded Cagalli. "_What are you talking about?_"

"_A secret we've spent the last sixteen years trying to bury,_" said Samuel grimly.

"Divinity," said Serenity. "Buried within Mendel is that deepest, darkest secret in the history of mankind. I don't think there's any stopping it now. Makoto and Kira have already awakened it. They just don't know what it is."

"_Then we won't ask any more questions,_" said Murrue, realizing this was something she really _didn't_ want to know about, something that no one present _should_ know about.

* * *

Inside Mendel

The Raven slowly walked in-between the abandoned buildings of the colony. Chris glanced back and forth. Zane had lured him into the buildings. No doubt he hoped that he would have the advantage on the ground. Maybe he did. Maybe he didn't.

"Where are you?" muttered Chris. "Where are you hiding… there!"

The Raven spun around and fired as the crimson CGUE fired its beam rifle. The beam passed by the Raven's chest, missing him by a few short feet, while Zane sidestepped the railgun rounds.

"_It seems you've improved,_" commented Zane.

"I could say the same for you," replied Chris.

Zane chuckled. "_I have you to thank for that,_" he said. "_You've pushed me to my limits and beyond them. I had gotten lazy and my skills had dulled fighting nothing but pathetic Naturals._"

"What happened to you Zane?" asked Chris for what felt like the billionth time. "You were never like this. You always believed in the good of people!"

"_No matter how many times you ask, the answer won't change, fool!_" said Zane. "_I was a fool back then. There is no good in humanity! All we do is hate, fight and kill! That is all we know how to do! That is what we are! Bigots, soldiers and killers! And soon, humanity will receive the punishment that it has deserved for so long!_"

"What?" said Chris. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Zane laughed. "_You can only see the two warring sides. You can't see what lies beneath it all. You–_"

Suddenly, the Freedom appeared, firing on the CGUE. The first shot pierced crimson CGUE's rifle, but Zane was fortunate enough to have cover he could dive behind, giving him a chance to flee the area.

"_Chris, are you alright?_" asked Kira as he landed next to him.

Chris nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine."

"_Where's Mu?_" asked Kira.

* * *

Elsewhere

"_Yzak!_" came a voice over the radio.

"Makoto?" questioned Yzak. Shiho's CGUE turned to the Faith, but didn't make any threatening moves as the silver Gundam pulled up short.

"_Are you okay?_" asked the redhead.

"Fine," said Yzak. "Shiho and I were just going to talk."

"_Alright,_" said Makoto. "_Did you see any other Gundams?_"

"No," said Yzak. "The only ones here are Shiho, Zane and a GuAIZ I think belongs to Commander Le Creuset."

"_It does,_" confirmed Shiho.

"_Got it,_" said Makoto. "_I'll leave you two alone then. Oh, and I think your solution is certainly better than the one Kira and Athrun found._"

With that, the Faith deployed its wings and left in search of the others.

* * *

Near GARM R&D Facilities

The GuAIZ stabbed at the Strike with its beam claws, Mu barely dodging to the right. The claws began to swing around, but Mu grabbed the shield, struggling to hold it in place.

"_If it's my fate to be shot down by you, I thought this place would be… appropriate,_" said Rau mildly. The GuAIZ suddenly kicked the Strike away. "_However, it doesn't look like there's any chance of _that_ happening. After all, how could the child ever hope to defeat the parent?_"

"What?" gasped Mu as the GuAIZ fired a shot taking out his cannon. He discarded the Lightning Striker as nothing more than dead weight now, and drew both his assault knives. However, before he could even move to attack with them, the GuAIZ fired its extensional arrestors, the beam tips tearing through the PS armor, piercing the right shoulder and the left side of the waist. There was a small explosion in the Strike's cockpit, sending a shard of metal into Mu's side as the Strike fell to the ground.

"It appears destiny is firmly on _my_ side," said Rau, smirking as he aimed his rifle. Then, a sudden feeling flashed through his mind, similar yet different from the feeling he got from Mu, Rey and Suiren.

Rau shifted to aim his rifle at the source, but a beam tore through it, destroying it. At its source, he saw a familiar white mobile suit.

"It's the Freedom!" said Rau, trying to evade. But a precision aimed beam blew off the GuAIZ's head. The Freedom then drew a saber and sliced through the legs of Rau's machine, sending the ruined GuAIZ falling to the ground.

Rau swore as he climbed out of his disabled machine and fled. But Mu saw this and tried to stop him. Rau fired his sidearm at him as he passed the Strike.

"What do you say we put an end to this all today?" said Rau, running towards the nearby building.

"Damn it," cursed Mu, chasing after his masked rival. "What's he up to now?"

"Come with me!" Rau called. "I myself will deliver your requiem!"

Kira and Chris watched the two men enter the large building. The two landed their machines near the Strike just as the Faith arrived.

"_Kira, Chris, what happened here?_" asked Makoto.

"Mu just chased the ZAFT commander into that building there," said Chris, grabbing his sidearm as he climbed out of the Raven's cockpit.

"Did you find Yzak?" asked Kira as he also grabbed his sidearm and exited the Freedom.

"_Yeah,_" said Makoto, landing the Faith. "_He's talking to the last ZAFT pilot now. I don't think ZAFT brought anymore Gundams this time._" That said, Makoto climbed out of her machine as well to follow the others, grabbing her sidearm almost as an afterthought.

Mu slowly moved through the hallways, a hand on his bloody side. Le Creuset had disappeared within the numerous hallways of the building.

"Do you know what this place is, Mu?" Le Creuset called out, his voice echoing throughout the building.

"Why would I, psycho?" replied Mu.

He then squeezed off a couple of shots blindly in what he hoped was Rau's direction. Rau fired back, forcing Mu to duck for cover. Mu quickly moved once the firing stop, running to a column.

"It's such a tragedy that you don't know!" shouted Le Creuset.

"Mu!" shouted Kira at that moment, distracting the two.

Before either man could react, Makoto fired at the ZAFT commander, forcing him to pull back.

"Kira, Chris, Makoto, don't!" warned Mu as the three teens approached.

Hearing the three names stunned Rau. Was that boy Kira Yamato? This made for an interesting twist. He already knew of the son of the Dantes from Zane, but if Kira Yamato was indeed _that_ child, than this was going to be far more interesting. And if that were the case…

"The prodigal son returns!" he called out.

Rau's words briefly confused Kira. He couldn't think about that at the moment. He and Chris both looked out to see if the coast was clear and rushed over to where Mu was hunkered down while Makoto remained behind to cover them. They both immediately saw the wound on their senior and friend.

"Mu, you're hurt," said Kira.

"It's nothing," lied Mu as Makoto rushed over. "But there's something you two should know. If you wanna use those things, you should release the safety first."

The two boys sheepishly realized that they'd forgotten to do so, not that anyone could actually blame them.

"Wish we'd followed Makoto's lead and practiced with Victor right now," commented Chris quietly.

"Don't be shy!" called Rau's voice. "Come along with me to the place where it all began! Kira, this is where you were born too, now wasn't it?"

Kira gasped. "Don't fall for his tricks," said Mu. "No matter what he says, don't believe a word of it." Mu then began to move forward, the three Coordinators following after him.

"I've got a bad feeling about this place," said Makoto softly, though her voice still echoed somewhat in the empty halls.

"You should!" came Rau's voice. "It was where you were born as well, wasn't it, Makoto Michiru Taiyonoha?"

Makoto gasped. "How the hell do you know that name?" questioned Makoto as the four continued to move forward, checking every corner and hallway for any sign of Le Creuset. They knew he was close, but had no idea where and he was likely lying in wait to ambush them at any moment.

"And you, Mr. Dante! You were born here as well!" shouted Rau.

"Yeah right, psycho!" Chris shot back. "Play your mind games with someone else!"

Rau's laughter echoed through the halls. Seeing no other option, they continued on until they came to a door labeled 'HUMAN GENE MANIPULATION LAB'. Pressing the switch, it slid open and they ventured inside. They moved down a dark hallway before coming into lab's interior. All around them they found large dark cylinders lined in rows. What was eeriest about them was that they power sources were fully functioning. But why would that be if the colony had been abandoned years ago?

Moving across the catwalk, they found something even more disturbing. In front of them was a cluster of glass tubes, each containing a dead human fetus. All of them were underdeveloped and malformed. They didn't even look human. A shudder crawled up Chris's spine. He was beyond creeped out. Though he was the son of doctors, he hated hospitals. They always made him feel creeped out. But this was much, much worse.

"What the hell is this place?" muttered Mu.

"Don't know, don't care," said Chris. "Just want to get the hell out of here as soon as possible."

Suddenly, Mu pushed Kira down, Makoto doing the same to Chris, as the sound of gunfire echoed through the lab again.

"Does any of this bring back memories, Kira?" mocked Le Creuset. "You should know this place!"

Mu fired ahead, towards the source of Le Creuset's voice, then rushed forward to the door to another room.

"Know this place? But how?" questioned Kira, wide-eyed.

"Don't fall for his mind games Kira," said Chris.

"I'm scared," said Makoto softly as they carefully moved forward to join Mu outside the door. "How the hell does this creep know my name?"

"He got it wrong, remember?" said Chris.

"Not completely," said Makoto. "Taiyonoha is my name, technically."

Mu replaced the clip in his gun, just as gunfire rang out from within the room. Mu twisted around the door, returning fire, before rushing into the room and jumping behind a sofa amidst more gunfire. He twisted over, returning fire before a bullet tore into his arm, the pain forcing him to drop his gun.

"Mu!" shouted Kira as he and the others ran in, avoiding gunfire and joining him behind the sofa.

Le Creuset finally emerged from the shadows and walked towards his enemies.

"I'm not going to kill you," he said. "After all, I made you go through the trouble of coming all this way." Seeing him, the trio of Coordinators immediately took aim with their guns as he picked something up off a desk next to him. "So I'll let you live long enough to hear the whole story." He threw the object he'd picked up towards them.

It clattered to the floor and slid to a stop next to Kira. Glancing over to it, he was shocked by what he saw. It was another copy of the photo Cagalli had shown him. There was no mistaking the woman in the picture or her babies.

"And he's not the only one with secrets here." Le Creuset then tossed a folder at them.

The folder fell open as it landed, scattering the photos and the files it contained. One fluttered to the middle and it quickly caught Mu's attention. The photo was of a man carrying a small boy atop his shoulders.

"That's me," he gasped, "That's me and my dad. But why is… how…?"

But those weren't the only photos that caught someone's attention. Chris and Makoto's eyes were locked onto a photo as well. The picture was of a group of men and women in white lab coats. Among them were two very familiar faces to Chris, one very familiar to Makoto.

"Mom… Dad…" breathed Chris.

"Sera…" whispered Makoto.

One final picture was thrown towards them, and everyone's eyes widened in shock. The picture showed Serenity Taiyonoha, along with Shizuka, Naomi, Misuumi, Ichida, and another person only Makoto recognized: Yushiro Kamakura. In Yushiro's arms was a baby with blonde hair. In Naomi's was a baby with brown hair.

And in Serenity's arms, standing next to a red-haired Misuumi, was a baby, clearly younger than the other two, with Makoto's red hair.

Le Creuset's smile was cruel and he laughed in wicked delight.

"I'd like to tell you all a little story," he said. "One of the full extent of mankind's insatiable desires, and of the crazed fools who followed their insane dreams. All in the name of progress. It is a story of people who sought to play god, and of the seeds they sowed."

"Let me now tell you," continued Le Creuset. "The story behind mankind's deepest, darkest secret. Let me tell you the truth of Project Divinity."

* * *

**Author's Notes: So, what did everyone think? We see that Makoto is apparently able to sense Louisa's presence, evidence of a high degree of spatial awareness developing. Not only that, but Makoto enters SEED Mode again, though it isn't the overpowered version we saw in the Marshall Islands.**

**I would like to note that the descriptions are telling of how they enter SEED Mode, which affects mentality, actions, and performance:  
When the seed "rushes through their mind", it's been triggered by sheer resolve and determination. Canonically, Athrun always used this method and Kira always did following his theft of the Freedom. It's the more powerful of the two canonical versions, keeping the pilot calmer and able to think much more clearly. You can call it the "peaceful SEED mode", if you want. This is the method Makoto uses in this chapter, and it's also the method Kira used in "Phase 11: Payback", resulting in much greater damage without the pilot's getting hurt anymore than they did in canon.  
When the seed "Explodes behind their eyes", it's been triggered by rage or the overwhelming need to protect something. Canonically, Kira used this method until the theft of the Freedom, and it's the only one Cagalli and Shinn ever used. This one is closer to the "berserker" state, and generates an increase in performance and tactical ability, but less than the other method and not much beyond that, aside from the benefits of any SEED activation. Call it the "warrior SEED mode". It is this method Chris and Zane used in their battle at the Marshall Islands.  
Makoto has displayed a third method entirely that seems unique to her. Unlike the others, this one doesn't seem to be triggered by rage, determination, or necessity. Instead, judging from the one time it was used, it seems to be triggered by guilt and grief. It appears to be radically more powerful than the other two methods, as evidenced by the fact that Makoto seems to have torn apart the Dauntless trying to get it to keep up with her. Just what this method is and what has caused it is still unknown, but it's likely also tied into the strange silver eye and its abilities that Makoto possessed for a while.**

**Alright, enough exposition on SEED Mode. Evidently, Makoto's origins are as closely tied to Mendel's as Kira's were, and for those who have read the original _Gundam SEED: A Retelling_, as you all knew Chris's were. Her connection, however, is a mystery. Regardless, it seems we're about to learn the secrets behind Makoto's godmother, as well as many more secrets that I'm sure at least a few of my readers have been almost completely unaware of, with only small clues to help out.**

**Judging from Rau's words, the mysterious "Divinity" also seems to have a much larger scope than was originally believed, and according to Serenity, it seems Kira is tied into Divinity as well. Seems we'll be learning just what it is next chapter as well.**

**On a sidenote, Makoto's "SEED Sense" seems to be stronger when her SEED is active, allowing her to sense Zane from an even greater distance than normal, and sense the "light" within Louisa as well, despite not being able to see it with her normal "SEED Sense". There's a lot of mystery about to be unveiled-look forward to it, but please don't get impatient. As I said earlier, it's going to be a pain to write.**

**Alright, everyone, please leave a review. Oh, and I'd like everyone to vote on the poll on my profile. I want to know which of my Original Mobile Suits are most popular. The poll for my most popular story ended with an overwhelming win for _The White Queen_ (half of the votes all to itself). The profile will be there until the conclusion of _Gundam SEED Dauntless_.**

**Ja ne!**


	32. Phase 31: Children of Divinity

**Well, here it is. The long awaited answer to the question of just what Divinity is and how it ties to Makoto and Kira. Of course, personally, _I_ think it was obvious. But then again, you tend to notice all the little, easily overlooked clues only after you've solved the mystery.**

**Before we get started, I just wanted to send out a request for OCs for the sequel story. Specifically, since the EX-C characters Rezin Bidan, Reccoa Schnyder and Gyunei Ridden don't actually belong to Akatsuki Leader13, I would like to request the owners contact me, or that others offer up potential OCs to take their place. If the owner of Tristan Palleon sees this, I request permission to use the OC and contact so I can learn more about the character. Failing that, I may produce OCs of my own, or whatever the situation calls for.**

**Anyways, I won't bore you up here any longer.**

**Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply.  
**

* * *

Phase Thirty-One: Children of Divinity

July 12th, C.E. 71

* * *

Inside Mendel

"Yzak," said Shiho, stepping off the zipline of her CGUE as Yzak did the same for his Duel. "What's going on here? I never thought I'd see you fighting alongside the Strike."

"A lot of things have happened," said Yzak, stepping forward, closing the gap between them. "I… I saw what happened at Panama."

Shiho looked away, feeling ashamed. "I wasn't able to stop them," she said. "None of us were."

"I know," said Yzak. "Deputy Commander Kessel told me about how you defended the Alliance soldiers."

"Somehow, I don't think Panama is the sole reason," said Shiho. Yzak shook his head.

"No, it isn't," he admitted. "There's something no one in ZAFT knows about. Something even _I_ didn't know about until after Alaska, even though I was one of the people in the middle of it all."

"What?" asked Shiho. Yzak sighed, subconsciously reaching up to rub the scar on his face lightly.

"The man who gave me this scar," he said. "Was an old friend of Athrun's, a Coordinator… and someone who I came to consider a friend after meeting him in Orb, ignorant of just who he really was."

* * *

GARM R&D

"This place is like a forbidden temple," said Rau, gesturing to the laboratory around them. "It's the remnants of the dreams of fools who thought they were gods." He then looked straight at Kira, staring into his eyes. "Did it ever occur to you that the people you called mother and father your whole life were, in fact, not your real parents?"

Kira shuddered. There had been times when he thought along those lines. But he always believed that it was because his parents had been Naturals and he was a Coordinator. But if they really weren't his parents…

"Of course not," continued Rau. "If you had truly known, then perhaps you would've turned out different. You wouldn't have been so normal, without a trace of your tainted past. You know, it never occurred to me, even when Athrun first brought up your name, you might be… _that_ child. I'd always thought the twins had died. Especially you. After all, together with your real father, Dr. Hibiki, you were one of the three highest priority targets of Blue Cosmos."

"What?" whispered Kira.

"But you survived," said Rau. "Grew up, and threw yourself into the war, and you survived that as well. Why do you think that is? Your story is so unlikely that even _I _am beginning to think they were onto something. Maybe their crazy dream had some validity."

Kira's body shook more and more as he raised his gun at Rau's head and readied to squeeze the trigger.

"I'm what?" he demanded. "What are you trying to say about me? What are you trying to tell me?"

Mu grunted in pain from his wound as he saw the words of that psychopath get into Kira's head.

"You are the dream of humanity," said Rau. "The Ultimate Coordinator!"

Kira froze, wondering what that statement meant.

"It was in the pursuit of that dream that Dr. Hibiki who created the artificial womb," continued Rau. "And you were the only viable child it ever produced. For that result, a very large number of your siblings were sacrificed."

Kira was overcome with shock. He dropped his gun on the ground and started to tremble as he looked to the side and stared at the glass containers. What if what Le Creuset said was true? What if he had been born here? Did that mean that all these dead fetuses were his unborn brothers and sisters? He felt bile rise up his throat but he managed to suppress it before it reached his mouth. Kira slumped back slightly, utterly shocked at this outpouring of truth and realizing that all of his life had been a lie. Everything he had known had been a lie…

"Shut up!" shouted Chris, firing a couple of rounds at Le Creuset.

Rau ducked behind a table. Chris turned to Kira. "Don't listen to this nutjob Kira!" he said to his confused friend, trying to shake him from his stupor. "He's trying to get into your head!"

"No," said Makoto, visibly trembling, her eyes wide. "He's not lying." Suddenly, Makoto fired in Rau's direction. "How the hell do you know all this? How are me and Chris involved? What is Divinity? And why is Aunt Serenity holding me in that picture?"

Le Creuset laughed cruelly. "Patience," he said. "I'll get to you soon enough. I'm surprised, though. I wonder if that's why you survived, since you were also near the top of the Blue Cosmos hit list."

"But for now, it's your turn, Christopher Dante," continued Rau. "How many children were born dead because of your parents work? Born deformed? Insane? And all to give birth to you. What your parents had hoped would be their greatest success. That those lives lost would count for something." Rau's head emerged from behind the table. "Instead, you were they're greatest failure! A failure that shattered their dreams completely! Frankly, I'm surprised they didn't kill a pathetic failure like you after you were born!"

"I said, shut the hell up!" screamed Chris, firing at Le Creuset again, his nerves stressed to the breaking point. "I've had it up to here with your lies! I'm not falling for any of your mind games!"

Rau pulled his head back down. "Just as you've already been told, all I've told you is the truth," he replied smugly.

"Then where's the proof?" Chris shouted back. "All you've shown us is some photos! They could have come from anywhere! They aren't enough to back up your claims!"

"Take a look on your left then," replied Rau.

Against his better judgment, Chris turned to his left. There were several doors along the wall. The doors all had names written on them. They were offices. His eyes scanned the names until he came across one door. His body froze as his eyes locked onto the words written on that door…

DR. DAVID AND CLAIRE DANTE

His parents' names. He had tried to deny Rau's claims, passing it off as Le Creuset's demented mind games. But he couldn't deny it anymore.

But it didn't make sense. His parents were doctors. They cared for the sick. Healed the injured. They strove to save lives. They wouldn't work in this insane place. Not the mother and father he knew. They would never be a part of this insanity.

Suddenly, Rau rose up and fired another round. Mu leaped up and pulled the two boys down to the ground while Makoto fired two rounds back at Rau, who quickly retreated into an empty corridor. Chris mentally cursed himself for getting distracted in the middle of a gunfight. Now wasn't the time for this. He had to deal with this later. Mu glanced at him. Chris waved him off.

"I'll be fine," he said. "We need to stop him."

Mu nodded and turned to Kira. He was in worse shape, at least mentally. Kira looked stunned and horrified. Like a soldier suffering from shellshock.

"Come on kid, don't take his nonsense serious even for one second," said Mu, trying to comfort him. "He doesn't know what he's talking about."

This seemed to knock Kira at least partially out of his daze. He nodded weakly.

Makoto, meanwhile, was looking at the offices as well.

DR. SERA TAKARA

DR. YUSHIRO AND AMI KAMAKURA

DR. ULEN AND VIA HIBIKI

"There's more to this than mindgames," whispered Makoto to herself, grip on her gun tightening as the four chased after the masked madman.

* * *

The _Archangel_

Inside the Mendel Harbor

Back at the harbor, repair work on the _Archangel_ was completed and now everyone stood around, waiting anxiously. They waited for the _Dominion_ and its escorts to make another move or for Nicol to return with his report regarding the potential presence of ZAFT forces on the other side of the colony. And most importantly, for any word on the missing members of their group inside the colony itself.

"Ma'am, Nicol's returning," announced Mir, putting Nicol on an open channel to all of their ships and mobile suits.

"What did you find out there?" asked Murrue as the Hellfire Blitz's cockpit appeared on the screen.

"_There are seven _Nazca_ destroyers outside the opposite harbor,_" said Nicol grimly.

"_Damn,_" said Andy. "_They mean serious business if they sent seven _Nazca_s after us._"

"_There's something else,_" said Nicol. "_The lead ship is the _Vesalius_. It's Commander Le Creuset's Team._"

Gasps filled the comm. line.

"_I'm not sure why I'm even surprised,_" said John. "_You're sure it was the _Vesalius_?_"

"_Yes,_" said Nicol. "_I'd recognize that ship anywhere. And I was able to get close enough to get a clear image of Captain Ades on the bridge._"

"_This is gonna be a problem,_" said Victor.

"_Don't understate facts Victor,_" said Andrew. "_At the moment, we're missing what amounts to probably a good quarter of our mobile suit strength. While I'm confident that we could stand a chance against the ZAFT forces and most of the Earth Forces here, I'm not sure how we'll fare against both forces at the same time, and, I'm not sure how we'll be able to fare against those six without Kira and Makoto._"

John nodded. "_Yes. At best, we'll be able fight to a stalemate._" He sighed before continuing, "_Those six are unlike any pilots I've seen before. They're as good as any ZAFT aces, but they're wild and reckless. And those machines of theirs are very powerful. We have to hope that Makoto and the others return before either group moves in._"

* * *

The _Eternal_

Athrun felt the most anxious of everyone. He thought that Kira would've at least contacted them by now. He couldn't take it anymore. He had to act.

"I'm going to go looking for them," he said, powering up the Justice.

Suddenly, Lacus appeared on the screen before him. "_I cannot permit that,_" she said. "_Please remain on standby for the time being._"

"But Lacus!" objected Athrun. "We're facing a situation with five of our pilots and mobile suits missing. You can't expect me to just sit here and do nothing, can you?"

"_That is the very reason you must stay here,_" she replied. "_We cannot afford to reduce our numbers any further. The ZAFT forces are nearby and we don't know when the Earth Forces will attack again. No matter what, we must press on. Even if…_" she choked slightly here, but pressed on regardless. "_Even if Kira, Makoto, and the others don't make it back._"

Athrun felt powerless. She was right of course. They couldn't spare anyone at the moment. If the _Dominion_ and those six attacked again or if the ZAFT forces attacked, he'd be needed here. All he could do was hope that everyone would return safely.

"_Athrun, I know how you feel,_" said Erik. "_But they'd want us to remain here. You need to have faith in all of them. They _will_ come back. I'm sure of it._"

On the bridge, Serenity and Shizuka exchanged concerned glances. They felt the same way Erik did. What concerned them was just what state the Children of Divinity would be in upon their return.

* * *

GARM R&D

Down in a deeper level of the lab, Mu, Kira, Chris and Makoto slowly moved through the lab. Mu's injuries were starting to affect him more severely. While his adrenaline rush numbed most of the pain, he knew he needed to get medical attention soon or he'd be in trouble. But before that, he had to kill Rau. The four entered a room filled with bottles and vials of medical supplies and medication. Mu and Kira took cover behind a lab table while Chris crouched behind a pile of debris and a fallen cabinet on the other side of the room and Makoto ducked behind a second lab table.

Out of the dim light of the room, the sound of descending footsteps echoed. Mu peered out to see a shape proceeding down the staircase. Rau reloaded his pistol and twisted his head, searching for his adversaries.

"Today, my secret shall be revealed," he called out in a mocking tone, speaking the words of the late George Glenn. "I did not come into the world through natural birth. My genes were altered artificially early in the embryonic stage of my development."

He stopped. "George Glenn was the first Coordinator whom humanity knew," he said, pressed a button on a wall panel.

A series of lights came on, illuminating a medicine cabinet of sorts.

"Do you have any idea how much darkness spread across the world because of the chaos he unleashed?" said Rau. "I wonder if anyone truly comprehends the full extent of what that man set into motion. So many parents wanted their dream children, choosing traits that fulfilled their own desires. It was as they were special ordering off some catalog." Rau's voice was filled with disgust. "People paid a great price for their dream, so of course they wanted it to come true. No one ever wants to see their dreams shattered."

Rau reached the bottom of the stairs. They were close. He could feel it.

"Is that what drove them onward?" he questioned rhetorically. "Because people demanded that their hopes and dreams come true no matter what? And what did people gain from this? What did they get? What was the result of their dreams?"

Kira was mortified by all of this. Again, Kira found himself lost in thoughts of what he was exactly, while Makoto was caught in a state of frightened curiosity, and Chris and Mu had both had enough of his mind games and rants.

"Shut up!" shouted Chris, standing up and firing wildly at the man.

Rau dodged every shot and fired a single shot. The well-aimed bullet struck Chris's sidearm, sending it flying. He quickly dove back behind the debris.

"And you're parents were no better," said Rau, aiming at Chris. "They sought to advance humanity up the next step of the evolutionary ladder. To create a new, better breed of man. Not Natural. Not Coordinator. But something they believed to be greater. They used the method for creating Coordinators as the base of their experiments to create this new human. But in the end, dozens of children were dead or suffered physical and mental deformities! How many children suffered and died to give birth to you! How many died to give birth to a failure! Children like my… my…" Rau paused for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. He shook his head before continuing. "Tell me, is there anything you'd like for me to pass on to Miss Allster before I do what should have been done years ago?"

"What?" said Chris quietly. "How–"

"She talks in her sleep," said Rau. "She stays in my quarters for her own protection. And she's wearing some dog tags with the name of your grandfather if I'm not mistaken."

Chris's eyes widened as his face turned to a stunned expression for a second before turning to an expression of rage. This man had kidnapped Flay!

"You bastard!" roared Chris as he jumped over his makeshift cover, racing for Le Creuset.

But Le Creuset didn't shoot him. He just stood there as Chris ran towards him. Just as Chris was about to reach him, Rau struck, driving his right foot into Chris's stomach. Makoto's eyes widened, recognizing the movement. Chris stumbled back only to receive a punch to his face. He fell to the ground. Chris looked up. Rau was standing over him, his gun pointed at his head.

"No you don't!" shouted Makoto, rushing forward, firing a single shot at Rau.

But Rau seemed to predict her move and was already running for cover before Makoto had squeezed the trigger. Rau reached the corner of a wall while Chris dove for cover, Makoto also retreating back to her own cover.

"Unlike that fool you killed in Orb, I'm not stupid enough to face you head on with paltry knowledge," said Rau. "And just in case you're wondering, I found a few books for novices lying around here nearly seventeen years ago."

"And now, it's your turn, Makoto Michiru Taiyonoha!" continued Rau. "You were at the center of it all, in a way. To my knowledge, unlike Kira and Chris, there were no deaths connected directly to your birth. But I wonder, how many had their very existences dissected to discover the knowledge that created you? How many lives were lost as a consequence of the blackout of 55 that delayed the research into a cure for the S2 Influenza? That incredible blackout was a consequence of the research of your birth."

"What the hell are you talking about?" demanded Makoto.

"The third piece of the puzzle," replied Rau. "The final product that truly earned the research here the name 'Divinity'. You are the true next step forward on the evolutionary ladder! A new breed of humanity! The daughter of Serenity Sakaeru Taiyonoha, to be born as the impossible: you are the legacy of humanity! The Fallen Angel of God!"

Makoto gasped, eyes widening as Rau proclaimed what she was for all to hear and her Aunt Serenity as… her… mother…

No…

"Surely you've already noticed it?" mocked Rau. "I hear they expected the results to be rather distinct. It's why you knew that I was telling the truth, even as your comrades, as your _brothers_ tried to deny it! The three of you, even the failure! The Children of Divinity! The Body, the Mind, the Soul of gods! And at the heart of it all, a desire to witness the evolution of humanity! That is the reality! The origins of the war consuming the world are here! Why do you think they prioritized Junius Seven over the other three? They weren't gunning for the PLANTs agriculture! Their target was David Dante! Half the major Blue Cosmos strikes in the last decade were targeted at eliminating the surviving researchers of Divinity! I don't think they ever realized that any of the Children survived and continued to live on, ignorant of their tainted, sin-filled past!"

"Argh!" screamed Makoto, firing wildly in Rau's direction until he returned fire, knocking the pistol from her hand.

"They thirsted for knowledge! They sought to fulfill their desires! And ultimately, they forgot why they were doing it! Even as they proclaimed their reverence for human life, they began toying with it, and then they began destroying it!" he shouted, more to the heavens rather than his four enemies.

"Shut up!" shouted Mu, stepping from behind his cover and firing at Rau, then running as Rau began to return fire.

"No matter what we learn, no matter what we manage to accomplish!" said Rau, continuing to fire. "Nothing ever changes! People are amazing that way!"

Rau paused, putting a new clip into his gun, unconcerned about the others, knowing only Mu was not paralyzed by shock.

"They become envious!" continued Rau "Hate each other! And destroy each other!" Rau continued to rant as he began to fire wildly at them, destroying monitors and vials of medicine. "If that's what they truly desire, why don't they simply exterminate each other?"

"What gives you the right to sound so superior?" Mu shouted back in anger as he fired in Rau's direction.

His last bullet missed Rau's ear by a mere inch. But he ignored it and fired on the wires holding a monitor display, causing it to collapse and kick up dust. As the clip slid out of Rau's empty pistol, he answered Mu's question.

"I am the only one who's earned that right!" he shouted with a twisted smile. "In the entire universe, I alone have the right to judge all humanity!"

Mu spat at the raving man. "Cut the crap, you crackpot! You don't really expect us to believe that?"

Rau laughed. "I'm surprised you don't remember," he said. "We've met once before, Mu. Long, long ago, before we ever met on the battlefield."

Something about that line, sparked a pair of long forgotten memories in Mu's mind. He was ten at the time. It was a few months before his parents' deaths. A maid had been fixing his tie when he met a boy his age. A boy with blue eyes and blond hair like him. And he looked almost like him. In fact, they easily could have been mistaken for brothers. The boy didn't say anything. He just stared at him for a few moments before walking away. He remembered how unsettled he had been by the silent boy and his empty, soulless gaze.

The other was a few years before that one. He had been walking past his father's office. The door was open slightly and he could hear his father talking to a servant.

"_He will be my heir. Not that woman's child. Make sure you keep a close eye on him and educate him well. Whatever you do, don't make him into another weakling," his father said._

Mu was dumbfounded. Why had these memories suddenly come back?

Rau's demeanor turned even more demented as he continued.

"I am he! That arrogant fool… who thought he could thwart Death itself with his money!" ranted Rau. "Al Da Flaga, your father! But I am merely that man's defective clone!"

"What?" said a stunned Mu.

* * *

The _Dominion_

Near Mendel

Back within the debris field just outside of Mendel's perimeter, the _Dominion_ and its escorts made final preparations for reengagement. However, Natarle was still nervous about the situation. The nearby _Nazca_-class ships had yet to make a move, and that worried her the most.

"We'll be at a disadvantage if we make the first move," she said. "I cannot guarantee success."

"It's easy to say something is impossible," replied Azrael. "It's another to actually make it happen. That's how it is in the business world."

"This is war," countered Natarle sharply. "Failure means death."

"The stakes are the same in the business world," said the Blue Cosmos leader with a smug grin. "Is it that you're someone who'll only fight battles you know you can win?"

Natarle clenched her fists, but didn't say anything. Azrael took notice.

"That's fine by me," he said. "I mean, no one wants to waste anything on a lost cause. But we can't keep sitting here forever, can we? Not if we want the prize."

The Dominion's bridge crew exchanged quick glances. This smug, arrogant bastard who had no true grasp of battle was treating war like a business. It was anything but. Almost all of them had lost friends or family to war somehow.

Only a strong sense of duty and loyalty to their captain kept them from trying to put a bullet through the man's head.

Natarle had to force even more restraint than her crew.

* * *

Hangar

The six biological CPUs were almost ready to move out. Each took the vial of Gamma Glipheptin they were given. They wanted to finally defeat those mobile suits that they just couldn't seem to beat.

"You think we'll be in trouble again if we fail?" asked Shani after they'd entered their machines.

"Probably," grunted Clotho, using the radio frequency they'd setup to exclude Christian from their conversations. "That bastard is only using us to make himself look good."

"Doesn't matter," said Orga with a smirk. "As long as we get to crush those four machines."

"I don't care about him. I want to tear those bastards apart," said Roslyn grimly, closing the visor of her helmet.

"Just so long as I can continue dancing," said Louisa girlishly. The others had now come to attribute her shift to her childish battle persona with the Gamma Glipheptin—once it was out of her system, she was considerably more normal, though still more like the other biological CPUs than an ordinary human.

A short while later, the six BCPUs were prepped and ready to attack once more. As they took point, the remaining Daggers and Strike Daggers from the nine Alliance warships followed close behind.

* * *

_Archangel_ Bridge

Suddenly, Sai's console flashed red.

"Captain, they're coming back!" he shouted

Dread hit hard for everyone. With several of their strongest mobile suits missing, including the Freedom and the Faith, it wouldn't be easy to fight on equal footing.

"The _Dominion_ is closing in with the eight _Agamemnon_-class warships behind it," reported Miriallia. "Distance 50, Green, Bravo."

"All hands, level one battle stations!" ordered Murrue. "Prepare to move out!"

* * *

The _Vesalius_

The Other Side of Mendel

The ZAFT forces were in a state of confusion. There had been no contact with the Commander, Zane or Shiho for quite some time. Ades stood on the bridge, waiting, carefully concealing his worry, especially since he'd had the feeling he was being watched a short while ago.

"Captain Ades, the Earth Forces ships are reengaging the rogue vessels!" shouted a controller.

Ades cursed under his breath. "Where is the Commander?" he muttered. "What could be happening inside that colony?"

"Should we go and check on them?" asked one of the pilots.

"No. Not yet," replied the captain. "The Commander told us to wait here for them. And for now, we will."

* * *

GARM R&D

"My dad's clone?" said Mu. "You expect anyone to believe that fairy tale?"

"I don't want to believe it either," replied Rau. "But unfortunately, it's true!"

Rau slapped his final clip into his handgun and slowly moved out of his cover. "The final door is about to open! And I'm the one opening it! Then the world that we know will come to an end! This world of insatiable desires will end!" said Rau, approaching Mu's position behind the corner while Mu himself continued to breathe heavily.

Neither man realized that Kira was on the move, grabbing a piece of debris and rushing towards the two adults.

"And then the conceited fools who struggle within it will finally have their wish come true!" shouted Rau maniacally as he raised his gun in Mu's direction, thumbing back the hammer.

"No, it won't happen! I won't let it!" yelled Kira as he threw the chunk of metal at Rau as he fired at the boy.

Rau emptied his clip. But none of the shots hit Kira, while the piece of metal that Kira threw hit Rau's mask dead on. The mask fell off, revealing Le Creuset's face to his four enemies. All of them gasped as they saw his face. It was identical to the face of Mu's father.

"Ha! Do you think you can change what's going to happen!" said Rau, ignoring the loss of his mask. "Nobody can do anything about it! For the world full of hatred is engulfing the universe!"

Suddenly, Rau ran off as Mu attempted to chase after him. However, due to the loss of blood from his injury, he stumbled and fell down. Both Kira and Chris rushed over to him, while Makoto remained slumped against the wall.

Le Creuset's face was the final nail in the coffin. True… all of it… everything he said…

It was true.

"We need to get out of here. Can you stand?" asked Kira as he and Chris helped Mu up.

Mu nodded. "Yeah, I can stand," he said. "We have to get out of here." Makoto pushed herself off from the wall.

"Let's go," she said, tone steady, but her ashen face showed that she was in no better condition than the rest of them.

The four pilots headed for the exit. But Kira and Makoto stopped to gather the entire collection of photos. They then slowly made their way outside, where their mobile suits were waiting.

* * *

Elsewhere

"I see," said Shiho. "I don't blame them, and I don't blame you."

"So what will you do about it, Shiho?" asked Yzak, pulling out his sidearm and holding it out to her. "If you're a soldier of ZAFT, then do your duty. Shoot me like the traitor I am, and take my machine back with you. No offense, but the Duel's stronger than your CGUE."

Shiho looked at the gun and stepped forward, placing her hand on it and pushing it down.

"No, Yzak," she said. "I'm a soldier of the PLANTs, of the true ZAFT, not of Patrick Zala. Besides, from what you've told me, my commanding officer is a traitor. It seems to me that the Clyne Faction are the ones truly fighting for the sake of the PLANTs, not ZAFT."

Yzak was stunned. While he wasn't certain he'd have shot her if their positions were reversed, he didn't expect this.

Just then, the entire colony shook heavily.

"_Zane! Shiho! Are you there?_" came Le Creuset's voice from Shiho's wrist comlink, "_We're leaving at once._" With that, the channel went silent.

Sighing, Yzak holstered his firearm and turned back to the Duel.

"Alright Shiho, guess it's time to say goodbye," said Yzak, grabbing hold of the zipline and rising to the cockpit of the Duel, Shiho's eyes never leaving his figure, emotions evident in them now that Yzak wasn't looking.

And no emotion more evident than determination.

As the Duel rose into the air, the CGUE DEEP Arms lifted off and followed it.

"Shiho? What are you doing?" asked Yzak.

"_I'm coming with you,_" said Shiho. "_I'm joining your little 'rebel' group._"

Yzak nearly lost control of his machine in shock. He knew he _definitely_ wouldn't have done that!

But then, he supposed he wasn't Shiho, either.

* * *

Near GARM R&D

"_Zane! Shiho! Are you there?_ _We're leaving at once,_" said Le Creuset over the comm.

Zane sat in the cockpit of his CGUE near the building Rau, Chris and the others entered. He could have taken a shot at Chris as he left the Raven. But that wasn't what he wanted. He wanted to defeat Chris in combat. Picking him off when he was defenseless like that, was meaningless. He wanted to prove he was superior to him regardless of the mobile suit.

Le Creuset rushed out of the building, towards his crippled GuAIZ. Zane came out of his hiding space as the Commander entered the cockpit. "_Zane, take me back to the _Vesalius_, now,_" he said, his voice becoming strained.

"Yes sir," he said, scooping up the headless and legless torso.

At that moment, the Duel appeared, the CGUE DEEP Arms right behind it.

"Treacherous bitch," said Zane, moving them behind the buildings, and using them as cover from the Duel and DEEP Arms as the two landed near the other machines.

* * *

Outside Mendel

As the _Archangel_, the _Kusanagi_, the _Eternal_ and the three _Nazca_-class ships launched, Athrun took the lead, flanked by the Conviction and the Guardian.

"Girls, I want you to stay back and protect the ships," he ordered

"_Roger that,_" replied Asagi as the Atrays pulled back.

"_Are you kidding? Those six will tear the two of you apart without extra support,_" argued Liz.

"_Yeah. But your brother would kick his ass if something happened to you,_" said John as the Farsight launched from the _Odin_.

"_He doesn't need to treat me like a baby,_" said Liz with a scowl.

"_He's your older brother. He's supposed to worry about you,_" replied Victor as he and John pulled along the three mobile suits. "_You lead the others in the defense of the ships. We'll help Athrun and Erik out with those six punks._"

"_Fine,_" said Liz.

The Guardian pulled back as the Justice, Conviction, Talos and Farsight rushed forward, ready to engage the closest enemies.

Orga grinned. "_Hey, there they are._"

"_That white one's missing,_" commented Clotho.

"_And so is the silver one,_" groaned Roslyn.

The others grimaced slightly, almost unconsciously glancing at the Twilight.

"_Then we'll just have to capture these two,_" replied Orga.

Christian growled at the sight of the Talos. "_That one,_" he said. "_He's a tricky coward. He's mine._"

Charging forward, the two sides clashed. The Supremacy and the Calamity circled the Conviction like a pair of sharks circling their prey, while the Forbidden charged straight at the Justice. The Deliverance fired its missiles at the Talos, and the Raider turned on the Farsight.

The Twilight practically ignored everyone. Louisa's eyes turned towards the ships. Where was she? Where was the Angel who'd stolen her heart?

Snarling in rage at the loss of her partner, she charged towards the ships, hoping to draw the Faith out with a direct attack.

The enemy opened up on the Twilight, but Louisa wove through it and returned fire unexpectedly with her Vertilgung and Skorpion, skewering the heads and limbs of an Astray and a GINN before they could react.

The Hyena II flew forward to meet the Twilight's charge, but faster than Ajay could react, the Twilight's staff flashed to life, cutting the arm holding the rifle and half of the head fin away.

But the Twilight didn't finish any of its three victims. Louisa suddenly started giggling, then laughing in delight as she backed away, avoiding or deflecting the enemy fire.

The laughter filling the comm. frequencies disturbed many, none more so than Louisa's teammates, who shuddered at the thought of what could possibly make her happy without the Faith around for her to fight.

* * *

Outside GARM R&D

"That CGUE…?" questioned Chris as he emerged from the facility supporting Mu.

"Guess Yzak convinced the pilot to join us," said Makoto, before stumbling slightly, reaching up and rubbing her head.

"Makoto? Something wrong? Besides everything we just learned?" asked Kira, who was considerably calmer than earlier.

"They're in trouble…" said Makoto, looking up at the Faith. She started running towards it, activating the communicator on her wrist.

"Yzak, head back to the harbor, now!" she said. "Take your friend with you. The Earth Forces are attacking again."

Makoto grabbed hold of the zipline and began her ascent towards the Faith's cockpit. Kira had moved to help Chris get Mu to the Strike's cockpit. Yzak didn't question Makoto, and decided it would be best to listen to her at the moment. The Duel and CGUE DEEP Arms took off and headed for the main harbor, while Makoto climbed into the Faith's cockpit.

As the Faith lifted off and spread its wings, Kira and Chris clambered into the cockpits of their machines and were soon following the Faith, the Freedom carrying the Strike.

* * *

The _Eternal_

Lacus watched the battle and wished that there were more her ship could do to support the forward units.

"Can we use the METEOR?" she asked, hoping they were ready.

DaCosta turned his head "Negative," he reported. "The unit is still charging."

Lacus tensed, knowing that Athrun would have to make due with just the Justice.

Fortunately, the Twilight hadn't done much beyond disabling three of their machines.

Yet.

But Louisa was getting impatient.

"Come on, you're late!" she said, twisting around to where the Justice and Conviction were being hounded by the Calamity, Supremacy and Forbidden. "Guess I'll just play with them for a moment."

The Twilight charged at the five battling mobile suits. Roslyn saw this, and smirked.

"Guys, let's hound them to Louisa," she said. "I think she's gotten tired of waiting."

With a smirk, Orga and Shani followed her suggestion. The three opened up with their full arsenals, the curving beams of the Forbidden's Hresvelgr in particular forcing them into a dizzying pattern of dodges and narrow deflections. Suddenly, the Twilight flashed through the battlefield, flying erratically, breaking up the space around them into distorted images.

Dodging fire from the three other Gundams, Athrun and Erik flew straight through the distortion.

And suddenly, the Twilight's Drache Schild crashed into both of them, Louisa releasing an electric charge throughout the two war machines.

"Oh no…" whispered Cagalli.

The other three machines moved in to finish the job. But just before the Calamity could fire on the Conviction, a large spread shot tore through space, forcing Orga to evade as the Buster approached, uncoupling its guns and opening up on the Calamity.

The Forbidden's plasma cannon fired on the Justice, but the beam suddenly splashed against nothingness and dissipated. The Hellfire Blitz faded into view, its demonic eye glowing a bright, enraged red as Nicol unfolded the wings and charged forward, swinging his scythe at the Forbidden.

And just as Roslyn was beginning to squeeze the trigger, a grenade smashed into the Agni next to the Supremacy's hand, destroying the cannon. Roslyn growled as she turned to face the Guardian, transforming back into mobile suit mode and drawing a beam saber. The Supremacy snatched its Schwert Gewehr from its back and charged the Guardian.

On the _Archangel_, Murrue had to make a snap decision for the ship's next move, knowing they couldn't do anything to support the Justice and Conviction without risking hurting Athrun and Erik further.

"We'll use the debris for cover," she ordered. "What about the ZAFT forces?"

"They still haven't moved," answered Sai.

Miriallia's console suddenly flashed as it detected a heat source moving at high speed behind them. "Captain!" shouted Miriallia, opening her mouth to finish. But before she could, a silver blur flashed past the ship and slammed into the Twilight, which had suddenly released the Justice and Conviction.

The Twilight was slammed back into an asteroid as the Faith backed away, its wings settling into standard combat position. However, there was something different about the machine now, as though it were conveying emotions, which confused virtually everyone.

"Captain, it's the Freedom!" announced Miriallia. "No, it's everyone! They're coming back! And… there's a CGUE with them! The same one Liz fought at Alaska!"

"What?" gasped Murrue, but she quickly shook it off. "Alert the hanger crews. Tell them to do a rush resupply job on the machines that need it."

Kira opened a channel to the ship. "_We're all here but Mu's been wounded._"

Murrue gasped when she saw the damaged Strike being pulled along by the Freedom.

"_The CGUE's on our side,_" said Yzak. "_Her name's Shiho Hahnenfuss. We can worry about introductions later, though._"

The Freedom handed the Strike to the Raven, which carried the damaged suit to the hangar, while the Freedom, Duel and CGUE turned to the battle. Unlike Chris, Yzak and Shiho hadn't done any actual fighting after entering the colony, and their machines still had more than three-quarters full power.

* * *

Elsewhere

The Deliverance opened up on the Talos, Christian firing wildly in his efforts to bring down this pest. Evading the fire, Victor dove behind a piece of debris for cover against the Deliverance's overwhelming firepower.

"Quit hiding!" roared Christian. "Fight me like a man!"

He was getting annoyed. That machine had pulled away from the others and deeper into the debris field. The coward was constantly moving in and out of the debris, hiding like a rat.

"_Why should I fight like a man when my opponent is little more than an animalistic murderer?_" asked Victor, firing from behind a large chuck of metal.

The Deliverance sidestepped and fired back with its gatling guns. But the Talos was already gone. Christian howled in frustration. "Damn you! Quit hiding, rat!"

Suddenly, a barrage of beams struck the Deliverance. The missile pods on its right leg were blown off, the left gatling gun exploded, and its left shin was grazed by a beam that melted the armor.

"What?" cried Christian.

The Freedom appeared, swinging its beam saber at the Deliverance, driving Christian back.

"_Victor, are you alright?_" asked Kira.

"I'm fine," replied Victor, leaving his hiding spot. "Athrun and Erik are the ones that needs help. They got caught by that black machine's claws."

"_I know,_" said Kira as he took off. "_But they already had plenty of support and I thought you could use a quick hand. Be careful._"

"Don't worry," said Victor, turning to the Deliverance. "I may not be the Black Hawk himself, but I promise that this murderous, feral dog will never be able to catch me, no matter how hard he may try."

Meanwhile, the Raider hunted the elusive Farsight. He knew the reputation of the Black Hawk, and had no doubt that the color scheme and hawk insignia were more than just a pretender. But he was also confident that he could defeat even the Hawk with the Raider's power.

Suddenly, a beam lanced through space directly at the Raider. Clotho instinctively uncoupled the head of the Mjollnir from the handle and moved behind the weapon, spinning it to form a crude shield, allowing the anti-beam coating on the wire to absorb the sniper shot.

"Alright then, I guess I'll just have to use this instead," said John, setting aside the sniper rifle and instead grabbed the pieces of the more powerful piercer rifle from his disassembled GuAIZ. He combined them and took aim at the Raider, which was now looking almost directly at him.

He fired.

Clotho again formed the 'Mjollnir shield', but this time, the piercer rifle shot blasted through the crude shield and grazed the Raider's left shoulder, melting the armor in that section. Clotho grit his teeth and retracted the head of the Mjollnir, flying forward and firing repeatedly with his shield cannon. He saw a distortion start flying through space, and with a cry of anger, threw his Mjollnir into its path.

"You're terminated, bastard!" he shouted.

The camouflage faded from the Farsight's cloak to reveal the Strike-variant machine, and John moved his machine's shield out from under the cloak, activating its beam claws.

Clotho swore, and yanked back on the Mjollnir while retracting the wire, unwilling to allow his weapon to be cut apart yet again in an engagement with these powerful foes.

"Athrun, Erik, are you two okay?" asked Kira as he opened up on the Calamity, Supremacy and Forbidden.

"_Yeah,_" said Athrun, his breathing strained. "_But we were held so long… the Justice's systems have gone completely haywire._"

"_Same with the Conviction,_" said Erik, his breathing also strained.

"Then pull back to the ships," said Kira as he deflected a shot from the Supremacy's rifle. "We'll handle these guys."

"_Yeah,_" said Athrun as the Justice and Conviction moved somewhat clumsily towards the _Eternal_, where the Duel and the CGUE DEEP Arms were fighting viciously with the Earth Forces.

* * *

The _Vesalius_

The Other Side of Mendel

Flay was startled by the sound of the opening door. She stood back as Rau rushed in and over to his desk. He was panting and groaning and moaning in pain. He opened the drawer, pulled out the bottle of pills and swallowed down a handful. He then pulled out a spare mask and put it on. Flay cautiously approached the quivering man, unsure of what would happen next.

Rau slowly recovered enough to where his body had stopped shaking. He pressed down on the intercom.

"Ades!" he said, voice strained. "Have our forces move out now! Send out every mobile suit we have! The same goes for the _Voltaire_, the _Rousseau_, the _Noin_, the _Burton_, the _Heusinger_ and the _Helderton_!"

"_Commander?_" came Ades's questioning voice.

"Did you think we would come all this way and do nothing?" shouted Rau. "No matter what, we cannot let the Earth Forces get their hands on those machines!"

"_But sir!_"

"I'll be going too," said Rau. "Have my CGUE prepped! I'll be on the bridge shortly."

With that command, he turned off the intercom. He let out a shuddering gasp, his breathing labored. He turned to Flay, predatory grin returning.

"And I'll need your help too, my dear," he said. "This is my final gamble. To see if the door will be opened."

Flay took a step away, frightened for her safety and the safety of her unborn child. She placed a hand on her abdomen. Rau didn't seem to notice it. If he did, he didn't care. He took out a familiar disk and held it out to Flay. "Please deliver this for me. If this key is brought to the Earth Forces, then this terrible war can come to an end."

Flay looked up, surprised. Slowly, she accepted the disk. She could only guess what sort of information it contained. "If I do this, the war will be over?" she said, more to herself than to Le Creuset.

This war had already taken her father. She desperately wanted it to end before it claimed Chris's life. She didn't want her child to grow up without a father. Like how she had with her mother. If this would end the war, than she would deliver it.

"Yes," answered Rau, taking her by the hand. "Now let's get you ready."

A short while later, Flay was in a locker room, putting on a spacesuit. Once she was suited up, two ZAFT soldiers took her to an escape pod and motioned for her to go inside. She climbed in, strapping herself into the seat. After the hatch was sealed, one of the soldiers turned to the other.

"_Any idea what the Commander has in mind?_" he asked.

The second only shrugged. "_Who knows? But he must have some plan for her._"

The pair left, leaving her alone in the pod. Flay clutched the disk in her hands. She kept telling herself that she just had to take it and pass it along to the Earth Forces. And then, the war would finally be over.

* * *

The _Dominon_

"The seven _Nazca_-class ships are moving towards us!" shouted Pressly as the ship shuddered from a barrage from the _Archangel_.

Natarle froze. Had the ZAFT forces waited for her group to engage the _Archangel_ and its allies so that they could attack while they were in the middle fighting each other?

"They're hailing us!" said Grissom.

"What?" muttered a stunned Natarle.

This was a move that she had never expected.

"_Attention, Earth Forces vessels,_" said the voice of the ZAFT Commander. "_Before we engage, I'd like to take this time to return a prisoner to you._"

Both Natarle and Azrael exchanged confused looks. What was the enemy doing? What prisoner were they talking about?

The _Archangel_ and _Dominion_ kept at their closely matched battle. Almost every move was countered and then any counter was met with yet another maneuver. The same was true of the battles between their allied ships. Even the various mobile suits of the two respective groups had no clear advantage against over the other, with Athrun and Erik still struggling to get their OSs back to optimal status. Murrue grit her teeth as she tried to think of something to try and deal a critical blow to Natarle and her ship. Of course, she did notice the other ship seemed to be lagging at the moment.

"Captain, the ZAFT _Nazca_-class ships are moving in!" said Sai.

Murrue and most of the bridge crew gasped. If the ZAFT forces were making their move now, there was the chance that the _Archangel _and the other ships would be boxed into a pincer attack with no way of escape.

"All mobile suits! Form up around the ships!" ordered Samuel. "We need to punch out of here now before we're pinned between ZAFT and the Alliance!"

* * *

Meanwhile

The battle between the two groups of Gundams was becoming ever more pitched. Scythe clashed with scythe as Nicol and Shani struggled for dominance in suits of remarkably similar capabilities and fighting styles. Twin sabers clashed amidst hails of gunfire as the Freedom and Supremacy engaged one another, breaking apart only for a moment before crashing together once more.

The Calamity fired its beam cannons at a momentarily vulnerable Buster, but the Guardian flew in at high-speed, transforming to mobile suit mode to intercept with its shield. As Liz acted in his defense, Dearka maneuvered partially out from the Guardian's cover, firing his rifle and gun-launcher at the Calamity, which intercepted with its shield. But the moment Orga moved the shield away, he found the Guardian charging at him in mobile armor mode. He fired the Scylla, forcing Liz to pull away. As she did so, she armed and dropped several grenades rather than firing them, and Dearka fired at the Calamity with its shotgun.

Orga pulled away from the shot, but ended up slamming into the Guardian's dropped grenades, shaking the Calamity badly. As Orga righted himself, he saw the Guardian fire at him, and defended with his shield, only for the Buster to fire its sniper rifle at a group of dropped grenades floating at Orga's side.

The Vesica flashed through the Twilight's beam staff, severing the weapon in two. Gritting her teeth, Louisa tossed away the smaller half, and wielded the still functioning larger half as a large beam saber.

"No…" she whispered. "I can't lose. If I die… I won't be able to dance." Tears filled Louisa's eyes. "I don't want to say goodbye to you… not again… M–" Louisa cut herself off as a sharp pain filled her head, but otherwise ignored it. "I don't want our dance to end!"

An azure jewel seed suddenly rushed through Louisa's mind and shattered in a nova of light and color.

* * *

Flay felt the pod shake for a brief moment as it was launched into space. She closed her eyes and silently prayed for her safety, the safety of her child, and that the war would soon end as the pod headed for the ongoing battle.

* * *

**Author's Note: Well... I'd say Makoto's in trouble. Louisa was already formidable enough, able to take on the Justice, Guardian and Raven at Orb, and with some support from the Calamity, Supremacy and Forbidden, she nearly crushed the Justice and Conviction at the same time, though it's interesting that she didn't finish them off despite having a chance to do so. And now she's gone and activated the SEED. This spells trouble for everyone.**

**On a sidenote, we see just what Divinity is. It's the Ultimate Coordinator and Artificial Newtype projects, along with a third project that we can assume involved the SEED. I wonder what the blackout was that Rau was referring too. We also learn that Serenity is, in fact, Makoto's real mother (assuming Rau wasn't lying about that, but it seems doubtful at this point), meaning that, like Kira, she was adopted by her aunt and uncle. Her confrontation with Serenity next chapter is something I'm sure everyone's anticipating.**

**The tidbit of the Bloody Valentine actually being intended to take out David and Claire Dante was something I added. Yes, the blow to the agriculture was nice, but why not Junius Eight, Nine, or Ten? And it seems coincidental that Chris's parents happened to live on Junius Seven when they were most definitely still high on the Blue Cosmos hit list. Andras in particular would enjoy this.**

**Now then, I'm not sure when I'll get the next chapter posted, but hopefully, it will be soon. After that, we get my equivalent to _Gundam SEED: A Retelling_'s "Glimpse of the Past". After that, we get at least one more non-action chapter to fill in the two-month gap between Mendel and the Battle of Boaz. This will allow me to give characters like John screentime they haven't had, and provide more interactions between characters. Additionally, tidbits like why John and Victor hid the fact that they were twins and stuff about other characters pasts.**

**Alright, I ask everyone to check the poll on my profile if you haven't done so. For now, please leave a review!**

**Ja ne!**


	33. Phase 32: A Place for the Soul

_**SQEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**_

* * *

**I am so excited, it's ridiculous! This chapter really made it sink in: I've done it. I've reached the epic final quarter of _Gundam SEED Dauntless_ that is, in many respects, the only thing I've been writing for this entire time! I'm trembling in excitement!**

**We've got an excellent battle here (in my opinion), and we get some emotional breakdowns too!**

**My favorite portions by far: the battle between Makoto and Louisa and the _Eternal_ Hangar scene. So... much... fun!!!**

**Alright, I see no real reason to bore you, so I'll just say one final thing before getting to the disclaimer.**

**A while back, I "announced" a site for my Gundam fanfiction. I have since created a different site for _Gundam SEED Dauntless_ and its sequels-to-be, _Gundam SEED Serenity_ and _Gundam SEED Divinity_. The site is still in the early phases of construction, but will include such items as character stat pages, mecha spec pages, and eventually, a "story" section that includes an overview summary of each chapter of the story. Here is the "link", and you will also find an actual link on my profile:**

http:// maileesaeya . jimdo . com/

**Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply. I do not own _Gundam SEED_ or any of the associated characters or mecha. I do not own the Alaric Team, the Dantes or Zane Scirocco. I do not own the GAT-X204 Surge Gundam, the MBF-MX1 Athena or the mobile suits of the Alaric Team. I semi-own Victor Cain, the MBF-XX105 Talos II and the MBF-XX105 Farsight III. I also own the Taiyonohas, Erik Saharin, Christian Balliet, Roslyn Nawda, Louisa Kohls, Jeff Moreau, Oran Pressly, James Adams, and Grissom. In addition, I own the GAT-X308 Guardian Gundam, MBF-03 Hellfire Blitz Gundam, GAT-X135 Deliverance Gundam, GAT-X150 Supremacy Gundam, GAT-X264 Twilight Gundam, ZGMF-X15A Conviction Gundam, and the ZGMF-X16A Faith Gundam.**

* * *

Phase Thirty-Two: A Place for the Soul

July 12th, C.E. 71

* * *

Mendel Colony Airspace

The battle between the Clyne Faction forces and the Earth Alliance Forces raged on. Launcher and Sword Striker-equipped Daggers and ordinary Strike Daggers clashed with Orb M1 Astrays and custom ZAFT GuAIZs and GINNs. The Athena impaled a Strike Dagger through the chest with its sword as it fired its beam rifle at another. A Launcher Dagger hit an M1 with its Agni cannon, destroying the suit. Suddenly, a trio of beams hit the Dagger, the first two dispersing across its laminated armor while the last pierced the Launcher Striker. The Strike pack exploded, almost critically damaging the Dagger

"Leave while you can," said Lucius, his rifle locked on the mobile suit's cockpit.

The Dagger pilot didn't need to be told twice, and fled the area. Elsewhere, Diana fired her arrestors at a Strike Dagger. One grabbed its right shoulder while the other grabbed its left thigh. Diana pulled her shield in front of her and charged at the machine. The mobile suit fired at the Panther, but Diana the shots with her shield. Just before she reached the Strike Dagger, Diana drew her beam saber and sliced through it with ease.

Nearby, Athrun and Erik found themselves hounded by a group of Sword Daggers, their scrambled control systems preventing them from fighting back at full performance.

"Damn! How did Makoto avoid these system errors?" asked Athrun, firing somewhat clumsily at one of the Daggers.

"_Don't know, but I'll ask her about when this is over!_" said Erik, activating the sabers in his shield and swinging them at an approaching Dagger, driving it back. "_Damn it, how are we supposed to restore our systems while warding off these bastards?_"

Suddenly, one Dagger was pummeled with bullets, another was struck in the cockpit by a cluster of missiles, a third was pierced by several high-velocity rounds and the last two were cut apart, the Duel and DEEP Arms coming to the aid of the two nuclear-powered machines.

"_Athrun, Erik, get to work on those systems!_" said Yzak, obviously aware of what had happened to them. "_Nicol's fine, but I'm not sure how long Dearka and Liz will last out there. We'll cover you._"

"Roger that," said Athrun. "Thanks Yzak."

Some distance away, the Freedom battled the Supremacy as the Blitz battled the Forbidden and the Buster and Guardian tag-teamed the Calamity.

Kira deflected Roslyn's sword with his shield and swung at the Supremacy with his beam saber. Roslyn dodged back, grabbed the Midas Messer, and threw the boomerang in the Freedom's direction. Kira responded, with an amethyst jewel seed rushing through his mind and shattering, by cutting the boomerang in half and then snapping all of his cannons into place and firing on the Supremacy. Roslyn dodged one Balaena blast, blocked another her shield, but the two Xiphias rounds caught the Supremacy in the torso, sending the white mobile suit tumbling away as Kira spread the Freedom's wing and closed back in, combining his sabers on the way.

With a cry of anger, Shani fired his Eckzahn at the Hellfire Blitz. Nicol evaded the shots, pulling the wings down over his machine's body and activating the Mirage Colloid, the demonic mobile suit vanishing into nothingness. Shani grit his teeth in frustration and opened up with his Armfeuer machine guns and Igelstellungs in all directions, hoping to expose the cloaked mobile suit.

Several rounds from the Igelstellung pinged against nothingness, catching Shani's attention. The Hellfire Blitz, wings spread, faded into existence right in front of him, scythe swinging straight down at the Forbidden. Reacting on instinct, Shani rushed forward and tackled the black mobile suit.

Nicol grit his teeth in anger. In this position, he couldn't use any of his weapons capable of actually destroying the Forbidden. On the other hand, with its backpack not in close combat mode, the Forbidden wasn't in a position to retaliate with anything but its Igelstellungs and Armfeuer, which were no threat to the Blitz's PS armor.

However, Nicol was still in a position to do considerable damage, and folded the wings of the Hellfire Blitz down, wrapping them around the Forbidden, catching Shani by surprise.

Hitting a switch, Nicol fired all twelve of the Jigokuhi flamethrowers, enveloping the two Gundams in a giant ball of flame.

Orga had had enough of the Buster and Guardian! Thoroughly enraged by their clever use of the Guardian's grenades and tag-team tactics, he began spinning about, firing erratically, destroying a pair of Strike Daggers and one of the Clyne Faction's GINNs in his reckless abandon.

However, one shot hit the Buster in the shoulder, while another blew away the Guardian's shield, with a third blast melting away the right arm holding the rifle.

"Ugh, damn it!" said Liz.

"_You two get out of here, I'll be fine with these two for a few minutes,_" said Kira. Teeth grit in frustration, the two did as told, swiftly retreating as Kira let loose a barrage in the Calamity's direction, drawing Orga's attention away from the two retreating Gundams.

_That light… this is bad_, thought Makoto as she was forced back by a barrage of missiles from the Twilight. With a cry of rage, Louisa charged forward, Makoto doing the same. The two passed each other, saber clashing against sword, then came back in from different angles, clashing again, the two briefly struggling for dominance before pushing away.

"Why?!" cried Louisa, tears forming in her iris-engulfed eyes. "Why don't you want to dance with me?! Do you not feel the same?!"

Makoto charged in, throwing her heat rod forward at the Twilight. Louisa slashed with her beam saber, knocking the heat rod aside, then raised the left Drache Schild and fired the flamethrowers, not even bothering to try and grab hold of the Faith with it. Makoto dodged the fire and closed with the Twilight, her Vesica crashing against Louisa's beam saber.

"Please," said Louisa. "I need you. Can't you feel it? This burning desire, this unquenchable feeling of belonging… this is destiny! Its fate that we would battle! How can you not share my feelings on this?!"

Of course, although Louisa was speaking to the pilot of the Faith, with her radio currently inactive to keep the _Dominion_ and her teammates in the dark, the redhead wouldn't hear a word that was said.

But Makoto definitely sensed that the Twilight's pilot was putting everything she had into this fight, and it was only for Makoto's sake. It wasn't the Faith, or the fight. It was the experience with Makoto personally.

Makoto didn't know how she knew this… only that she did know it.

As the two pushed off, Makoto unfolded the Penna cannons and opened up on the Twilight. Louisa intercepted with her left Drache Schild, and after a few seconds, the surface exploded, pushing the Twilight back. With a sense of familiarity, Makoto punched the Faith's wings to high velocity and tackled the Twilight, not stopping her forward momentum until she'd slammed the black Gundam into one of the larger asteroids in the area.

Makoto pulled away from the dust kicked up by her stunt, staring down at the Twilight.

"Is this what he was talking about?" questioned Makoto. "If Kira is the result of his father, and Chris the result of his, am I Sera's result? Is this light… is it… the SEED?"

Suddenly, from the dust, the Twilight's Drache Schild shot out, clamping down on the Faith's right leg. But Louisa didn't activate the electric burst, and instead, as the dust cleared, the Twilight struggled to pull the Faith closer to it.

"You're after _me_? But why? And why do I have this sense of…" Makoto struggled to find the right words. "Why do I feel like fate is toying with me when I fight you?!"

Makoto fired the Exia repeatedly at the Twilight while also firing the Partis once. The Twilight released the Faith and leapt away as the crater made when it was knocked into the asteroid was engulfed in an explosion from Makoto's barrage.

The two charged one another in another flyby, but this time, the Twilight's saber severed the cable for the Vesica, killing the sword. Makoto spun to face the Twilight, replacing the now-useless handle on the rear waist of the Faith.

"Why is it like my heart is being torn out? Why does it feel like if I hurt you, I'll regret it for the rest of my life?!" demanded Makoto.

Makoto's vision was momentarily consumed by the sight of an emerald jewel seed rushing through her soul and shattering in a nova of light and color.

From the far side of Mendel, the ZAFT forces advanced towards the battle area. Two CGUEs, over three dozen GINNs, and seven _Nazca_-class destroyers. But most were unaware of the escape pod traveling with the ZAFT forces.

* * *

The _Archangel_

"Damn," swore Samuel. "We have to withdraw before the ZAFT forces reach firing range and we become trapped."

"_We'll clear an escape route for us by punching right through them,_" said Waltfeld. "_The_ Eternal _and the_ Kusanagi _will clear the path._ Archangel_, you and the Alaric Team need to continue dealing with the Earth Forces._"

"_But sir! That's near suicidal!_" said DaCosta. "_If we make a direct run towards them, then the warships will be able to attack us with full force at almost point blank range._"

"_That's true, but should we manage to break past them, our odds of being pursued will be drastically decreased,_" said Lacus.

"And the ZAFT warships have spread out to make sure they ensnare all of us, including the Alliance," added Samuel. "If you move fast enough, you'll be able to engage one or two of their ships before they can reform their line and overwhelm you. Strike hard. Strike fast."

Waltfeld grinned. "_Yeah, it's risky, but it's our best chance. Captain Ramius?_"

Murrue nodded. "Yes," she said. "We'll hold off the _Dominion _and its forces while you make the path."

"_Lisa, take the_ Valkyrie _and your girls, and help them punch through the ZAFT line,_" ordered Diana, given that John was still busy with the Raider.

"_Yes ma'am,_" said Lisa. "_You heard her ladies! We're punching through the ZAFT forces!_"

The _Eternal_, the _Kusanagi _and the _Valkyrie_ started to turn towards the approaching ZAFT forces.

"Ready Gottfrieds One and Two!" ordered Kisaka as the three warships moved towards the ZAFT fleet. "Set targeting to the oncoming ZAFT vessels! All M1s, move to intercept the approaching enemy mobile suits."

The ZAFT fleet had spread out to ensure that they would ensnare all of the fighting warships. But this also meant that the _Nazca_-class ships were spread out, and wouldn't be able to immediately provide support to one of their own, should they become overwhelmed.

The Gottfried cannons on the _Kusanagi_ fired, as were the _Eternal_'s missiles and main cannon and the _Valkyire_'s cannons. The shots went streaking out into space, heading for the two nearest battleships, the _Vesalius_ and the _Burton_, as they fired at the three warships.

As these barrages were unleashed, a tiny object flew past the ship. Flay whimpered and held the restraints tightly. She had been adrift in outer space, but there hadn't been a battle raging around her. Even worse, someone had preprogrammed the pod and locked out the controls. So she was completely helpless.

The ZAFT forces closed in on the _Eternal _and _Kusanagi_. Mobile suits from the two sides prepared to engage one another. Though the Astrays and GuAIZs outclassed the GINNs, their pilots made up for this gap of technological power with experience and slightly larger numbers.

* * *

_Archangel_ Hangar

The Raven had finished its resupply and was ready to launch. The _Archangel_'s port catapult opened and the midnight blue Gundam was loaded into the catapult.

"Chris Dante. Raven taking off," said Chris, punching the controls and getting slammed back into his seat by the sudden increase in velocity.

"Mir, where Kira and Makoto?" asked Chris, catching sight of the Justice and Conviction dodging fire from a few mobile suits before they were intercepted by the Duel and DEEP Arms.

"_They're still fighting those six machines with Victor and Commander Alaric,_" said Mir.

"Where?" asked Chris.

"_Point Bravo 32,_" replied Mir.

Chris nodded, heading towards their location. "I'm going to help them."

"Exterminate!" shouted Clotho, firing his machineguns and Zorn cannon on the Farsight. Teeth grit, John evaded the fire, but the Raider suddenly shifted to mobile suit mode and threw the Mjollnir at the Farsight, catching the sniper unit in the chest.

"Ugh, damn it," said John, struggling to right his machine. Before he could, however, the Raider closed in with its Ahura Mazda lit, ready to slice the Farsight to pieces.

Suddenly, the Raven appeared in its own mobile armor form and crashed into the Raider, knocking Clotho away.

"Damn you, copycat!" shouted Clotho, realizing who'd saved the Farsight. He shifted back to mobile suit mode and tossed his Mjollnir at the Raven. Chris shifted to mobile suit mode himself and dodged, and the two started exchanging fire with their shield cannons.

"You okay Commander?" asked Chris as he and his doppelganger circled one another.

"_I'm fine,_" said John. "_Thanks for the assistance._"

"Let me handle this guy," said Chris. "I think Victor could use some help with that Resolute-copy machine."

"_Sure you can handle him?_" asked John.

"Long enough for him to run out of power," said Chris. "You're machine just wasn't well-suited to taking him on, that's all."

"_Heh,_" was John's only response as the Farsight wrapped itself in its cloak and faded from sight.

"Damn you!" shouted Clotho, shifting to mobile armor mode and charging at the Raven, weapons blazing.

"That's right!" said Chris, shifting to mobile armor mode himself and pulling away. "Follow the little birdy!"

His mind totally focused on the battle, Chris was able to momentarily forget about the revelations of Mendel, which was fortunate.

If he'd been distracted by the knowledge he'd gained about his parents, he'd probably already be dead.

* * *

The_ Dominion_

"Captain! ZAFT lifepod approaching," said Pressly. "It's broadcasting a distress signal."

Natarle was bewildered by the move. Was this that prisoner the ZAFT Commander spoke of? "What are they thinking, launching a pod like this without waiting for any sort of reply?" questioned Natarle.

Azrael smirked with enjoyment. "That's a vexing question," he said. "Do they want us to recover it, or perhaps destroy it? If this is some kind of trap, it's an odd one. So what should we do?"

Natarle didn't answer, as her ship rocked from the impact of enemy fire from the _Archangel_. The lifepod had to wait for now.

Simultaneously, the _Luther_ and the _Maine_, two of their escort carriers, and their mobile suits battled one of the remaining _Nazca_, while the other used itself and its forces as a barrier to cut the two ships off from the rest. Both _Agamemnon_-class warships fired at the _Odin _with their cannons.

"Evasive maneuvers!" shouted Captain Lee.

The _Odin_ pulled to the left, evading most of the beams. But two beams grazed the right side of the warship, jarring the vessel, but not inflicting any damage past the anti-beam coating on the ship's hull.

"Target the nearest _Agamemnon_ and fire!" ordered Lee. "And what the hell are the mobile suits doing out there?!"

The _Odin_ fired at the _Luther_, but it managed to evade the twin beams from its cannon.

Nearby, the Surge sliced a Strike Dagger in two, then spun around and fired his rifle at another, destroying it. But more Strike Daggers—and those more advanced models with the Striker packs—continued to approach.

"Damn, how many of these tin cans do they have?" questioned Saul, firing his Hakenfurst through the chest of one Dagger that wasn't smart enough to dodge away.

"_Less talking, more shooting!_" said Ajay, continuing to fight despite the earlier damage the Hyena had received from the Twilight. "_Kid, think you can do something about that carrier?_"

"Yeah, but next time you call me 'kid', I'll leave you hanging," said Saul, punching the Surge's thrusters and charging at the _Luther_.

Before the _Luther_'s mobile suits or anti-air guns could react, the Surge was in front of the bridge, and Saul fired the Hakenfurst into it, destroying the ship's command center before surging away, firing several shots at the engine as he did so, virtually crippling the vessel.

Not missing the opportunity, the _Odin_'s beam cannons fired. The beams tore through the _Luther_'s prow, penetrating deep into the ship. The carrier stood there for a moment before explosions ripped through the ship's hull, destroying it.

* * *

Elsewhere

Almost on the other side of the battlefield, the Freedom and Hellfire Blitz were still caught in the firefight with the other three enemy mobile suits.

The Forbidden's Trans-Phase Armor had held up against Nicol's scorching assault, but the charring evidence was all-too clear, while the Hellfire Blitz looked no worse for wear. Nicol fired the Shi no Hashi at the Forbidden, Shani deflecting with his mobile suit's shields before returning fire with the Hresvelgr three times in rapid succession. Nicol dodged two of these, and dropped the Blitz's wings over the torso to block the third. Lifting the wings, Nicol charged in with anti-armor swords. The Forbidden deflected one with its scythe, but the other cut through the barrel of the left Eckzahn.

Kira snapped his weapons into place and fired off several barrages in rapid succession, forcing the Supremacy and Calamity back. The two responded by firing everything they had back at him, but Kira evaded or outright deflected every attack.

The Supremacy charged, swinging its Schwert Gewehr, Kira blocking with his beam staff. As the two engaged in a contest of strength, Kira suddenly rammed the Freedom's head into the Supremacy's, shaking Roslyn off for a moment.

In that instant, Kira struck, cutting off the Supremacy's left arm just below the elbow and destroying the anti-ship sword.

Suddenly, a barrage of beams and bullets tore through the area from two directions, narrowly missing the Calamity and Supremacy. Everyone stopped, looking back and forth at the two sources. The Raven, in its mobile armor mode, flew towards them from one direction, the Raider following, also in mobile armor form, firing wildly. From the other direction came the Farsight and Talos, the Deliverance behind them, firing wildly.

"What the hell is wrong with you two?!" demanded Roslyn. "Are you trying to kill us?!"

Christian didn't respond, only continuing to fire at the two sniper mobile suits as the twins narrowly evaded the almost insane assault. Clotho's response was simply to shift back to mobile suit mode and refocus himself on the Raven.

Suddenly, a massive beam split the battlefield and rammed into the Forbidden, knocking Shani away from Nicol. The Conviction blazed in, firing on the Earth Forces Gundams and driving them back. As he backed away, Christian was suddenly rammed from behind by the Justice's backpack, and when he looked up, he saw a beam boomerang coming his way, cutting off the missile launcher on his left shoulder before he could dodge away.

"You guys alright?" asked Athrun as he pulled up alongside the Freedom, retrieving his boomerang and backpack.

"_Yeah, but I'm running low on power,_" said Nicol. "_This guy's beams are barely curving anymore. I think those railguns are the key to dealing with that weapon._"

"_Got it,_" said Erik. "_We'll keep that in mind. Pull back to the _Archangel_. Commander Alaric, Victor, what about you two?_"

"_The PS armor's power-intensive,_" said Victor. "_It saved us, but we're also running low._"

"_We'll pull back and leave these punks to you,_" said John as the Farsight, Talos and Hellfire Blitz pulled away under cover from the Freedom, Justice, Conviction and Raven.

* * *

Meanwhile

Not far from where the Freedom and Blitz had clashed with the Earth Forces Gundams, the battle between the Faith and the Twilight had reached a new level of intensity like nothing anyone on the battlefield had seen throughout the whole war.

The two made a dozen passes at each other, Phase Shift Sword against beam saber, tearing apart the armor of both machines, wings spread, scattering light and Mirage Colloid particles as the two pilots struggled for dominance.

A barrage of missiles flew the Faith's way, the silver Gundam swatting them from the sky with its shoulder cannons, only for those cannons to suddenly be destroyed by the Twilight's Skorpion. Railguns unfolded from the Faith's hips, hitting the Twilight's missile launchers, detonating them and taking out the Vertilgung in the process.

Louisa didn't laugh or get angry, totally focused on the dance as her beam saber cut through both of the Faith's railguns and the Faith cut away the Skorpion cannon.

The two were totally focused on the battle, and neither would tolerate outside interference. While the Clyne Faction mobile suits knew better than to get near the battling duo, it had taken the two teaming up for a split second to destroy several Earth Forces and ZAFT mobile suits that had foolishly intervened for most to get the message.

Louisa grabbed a beam saber dropped by a destroyed Launcher Dagger, dual wielding it with the remains of her beam staff. Makoto shifted the Exia to standby, and drew both of her longswords.

The two winged Gundams charged, swords clashing with sabers, a cloud of debris from the colony and the battling forces building up around them as they fought a vicious dance of death, some of it fueled by them, some not.

* * *

The _Dominion_

"Captain Badgiruel," said Pressly. "The _Luther_ and the _Maine_ have been sunk and we've lost fifty-percent of our mobile suit forces."

Natarle couldn't believe it. With the loss of the _Luther_, _Maine_, and half of their mobile suits, they wouldn't be able to stay in the battle much longer, especially with the incoming ZAFT forces. Just then, a scream of static turned her attention over to communications.

"What is that?" she asked Grissom.

"It's the signal from the lifepod, ma'am," he answered. "It's being broadcasted over an international rescue channel. Shall I clear it up ma'am?"

"Yes," she said, curious, especially since they'd be retreating soon.

The static faded somewhat as the voice started to come through. "Archangel_… ase help me…_"

Natarle gasped. She knew that voice.

* * *

The _Archangel_

The same message was heard over the communication lines of the _Archangel_. It was hard to believe, but the voice was very familiar. They all knew who it was.

Miriallia glanced over her shoulder. "Sai, isn't that–"

"Yes," he said. "It's Flay."

The bridge crew was surprised to hear her voice. They couldn't help but wonder where she had been all this time and how she ended up inside a ZAFT lifepod.

* * *

The _Dominion_

"Who is that?" asked Azrael. "What's this all about?"

"It's Flay Allster," explained Natarle. "The daughter of the late Vice Foreign Minister George Allster."

Azrael raised an eyebrow "Are you serious?"

"Calamity, Ensign Sabnak," said Natarle. "Retrieve that pod at once."

Natarle's order drew a shocked gasp from Orga and an annoyed look from Azrael.

"We need to capture those machines," he said.

"It's doubtful we'll get even one of them at this point," said Natarle. "Even discounting that, the Calamity is almost completely out of power due to the earlier assault. It's due to retreat anyways."

Truthfully, Natarle simply wanted to protect Flay. While she knew Flay would want to go to the _Archangel_, if she did that, she'd be hunted like everyone else on that ship. The way Natarle saw it, if the _Dominion_ retrieved Flay, the worst that could happen was that she'd be used for propaganda. But with a little luck, Natarle was sure she could get Flay away from the fighting altogether.

"_Please! That man gave me the key!_" came Flay's voice again, this time without static, and the fear filling her voice all too apparent. "_The key to end the war!_"

… Natarle already regretted her decision. Any 'key to end the war' in the hands of the leader of Blue Cosmos worried her. Even still, like everyone else, she was baffled by the words.

Intrigued, Azrael immediately voiced his support of retrieving Flay.

Elsewhere, the Raven pulled away from the battle, transforming into its mobile armor mode.

"Hold on Flay. I'm coming," said Chris as he flew for the pod.

But at the same time, the Calamity broke off its attack and headed for the pod. Kira, Athrun and Erik saw this, but were unable to help because of their ongoing battle with the Deliverance, Supremacy and Forbidden. Chris reached the pod first.

"I got you Flay!" shouted Chris, reaching for the pod.

For the first time in a long time, Flay felt truly happy. "Chris!" she shouted in joy.

But Chris hadn't realized that the Raider was still chasing after him.

"No you don't, copycat!" shouted Clotho, firing his Zorn, followed by the Mjollnir, at the Raven.

"Chris! Behind you!" shouted Flay.

But it was already too late.

The beam hit its target, tearing through the Raven's left side, and the Mjollnir hit the same spot, tearing a chunk from the Raven's body. There was an explosion in the cockpit. A piece of shrapnel impaled his left bicep as a smaller piece smashed through his helmet's visor, cutting into the left side of his face. Chris screamed in pain, clutching his bloody face, while a warning alarm alerted him that the cockpit was on the verge of being compromised altogether. At that moment, the Calamity picked up the pod.

"FLAY!" screamed Chris, as the Calamity flew off with the pod. Behind Chris's eyes, a gray-green jewel seed shattered.

"CHRIS!" screamed Flay as she helplessly watched the Raven slip further and further away.

Ignoring the pain of his injuries and the warning alarms, Chris roared as he chased after the Calamity. But the Raider was still on top of him, and opened fire, forcing him to dodge Clotho's shots, but he continued on after the Calamity. The Raider threw its hammer at him again, but he turned and sliced through it with one of his sabers. Chris turned and pursued the Calamity. Fortunately, the Raven was faster than the Calamity. He caught up to the machine and grabbed it's back.

"_What the hell?! Get the hell off me!_" shouted Orga, trying to shake him off.

"Let go of her!" Chris yelled back, trying to pry the pod from the Calamity's fingers.

"No! Someone get this punk off me!"

The Raider, in its mobile armor mode, appeared. It ignited its Ahura Mazda plasma blades, heading for the two. Chris saw him coming. He had no choice. If he stayed on the Calamity, the Raider would cut through him and likely into the Calamity, destroying both machines, and Flay's pod in the process. He had to let go.

He released the Calamity, spun and fired at the Raider, forcing Clotho to stop and evade the shots. The Raider transformed back and fired. Chris dodged, but his vision briefly blurred. His wounds were beginning to affect him. But he couldn't stop now. He had to save Flay.

Clotho fired his railgun again. Chris tried sidestepping the shots, but this time, he wasn't fast enough. While one round missed entirely, the other grazed the damaged sections, straining the frame.

Warning alarms overtook the Raven's monitors. The last blow had caused a fracture in the cockpit, compromising the atmosphere. It wouldn't be long before Chris ran out of air to breathe.

Suddenly, a barrage of beams flew past the Raider. The Freedom approached the pair as the Conviction drove away the now-armless Supremacy.

"Chris! Fall back! There's nothing you can do!" shouted Kira as he pulled alongside the Raven.

But even with his cockpit compromised, Chris couldn't go back yet. He had to save her. Chris turned to chase after the Calamity when Kira grabbed the Raven's arm, stopping him from.

"Let me go damn it!" shouted Chris. "We have to save her!"

But the Calamity was already nearing the _Dominion_. It was too late.

"_Get back to the_ Archangel_,_" said Kira sternly, his voice holding the same commander's tone that Makoto and John used when giving orders. "_If you don't go now, you'll die. And where will that leave Flay when it's all over? Ms. Badgiruel is the captain of that ship. She won't let anything happen to her._"

Chris gritted his teeth. _He's right. But…_ he sighed. _I never should have let her go at JOSH-A. None of this would have happened._

"_Chris?_"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm going," he replied, heading for the _Archangel_ while shifting to mobile armor mode, the new configuration moving the cockpit and reducing the venting of atmosphere.

* * *

The _Dominion_

With the pod now on board and a portion of the ZAFT forces had reached their position, Natarle knew they had to withdraw. The _Luther _and the _Maine_ had been in the best condition of their carriers. The remaining ships were barely more than cripples now. They had no more Strike Daggers, and had lost most of their 105 Daggers. The Supremacy could no longer fight, the Calamity was out of combat power and the Deliverance was nearly empty on ammunition. Their remaining mobile suits could've been fit into the hangar space of just the _Dominion_ and one of their remaining carriers. They'd never survive a battle with the ZAFT forces in the area.

"Recall all our remaining mobile suits!" ordered Natarle. "Once all units have returned, we'll pull back from this sector!"

* * *

The _Archangel_

"Ma'am. The Raven's been critically damaged and is returning," said Mir. "They couldn't rescue Flay in time."

Murrue grimaced. They couldn't do anything for Flay now. But at least with Natarle as the captain of that ship, Flay would be safe aboard the _Dominion_.

"_Captain Ramius,_" said Commander Waltfeld. "_We're about to make our move._"

She nodded. "Understood. Fire the signal flare. Recall all mobile suits," she ordered. "Bring us to the _Eternal_'s position."

Upon her command, flares shot out and exploded in brilliant lights. The _Dominion_ did the same. The remaining mobile suit pilots all saw the flares and started to return to their respective ships.

Save for two.

* * *

Elsewhere

The battle only continued to climb to vicious new heights. The Twilight had lost both of its wings, while the Faith had lost one of its four wings and a leg. Louisa's beam staff had been finished, forcing her to retrieve a second beam saber from the debris surrounding them. Not only that, but one of the Drache Schild had been destroyed, and the Extraxi was now just a melted and twisted husk with a malfunctioning and broken heat rod attached.

Swords and sabers flashed, the Faith losing its shield and left eye, while the Twilight had lost its entire left arm, including the remaining Drache Schild, and had its right eye gouged out.

And still, neither pilot was willing to back down.

The two charged for what they knew would be the deciding blow…

The Faith won, cutting away the remaining hand even as the beam saber pierced its left shoulder, and Makoto stabbed forward, ready to pierce the Twilight's cockpit and end this, once and for all.

At the last second, though, she stopped.

Breathing heavily, Makoto lowered her swords, and reattached them to her hips. She grabbed her shield, destroyed the severed pieces of her machine so their secrets couldn't be revealed, and took off for the _Eternal_.

Louisa watched the Faith go, trembling, not in fear, but in sorrow.

"No…" she said. "Don't go… please… don't go…"

* * *

The _Vesalius_

The ZAFT destroyer shook as it was hit again and again by the combined fire of the _Eternal_, the _Kusanagi_ and _Valkyrie_. Fires erupted within the ship as damage spread across the vessel. Nearby, the _Burton_ shuddered as the _Valkyrie_'s GuAIZs fired on it. One GuAIZ fired at the _Burton_'s main cannons while another fired on its engines. The cannons and the engines exploded, leaving the ship crippled.

"The _Burton_'s lost its main cannons and engines!"

"We've lost control of the plasma surge!"

Ades grit his teeth as the three warships started to move towards the newly formed opening in the ZAFT line. The _Vesalius _was finished. But if this was going to be his final battle, he would at least die with some honor.

"Keep on firing!" he ordered. "We need to hold them for as long as possible!"

By now, the _Archangel_, the _Odin_ and the _Einherjar_ had caught up with the rest of their forces. The Freedom, the Justice, the Conviction, the Surge, the Hellfire Blitz, the Duel, the DEEP Arms and the Athena had all taken up defensive positions around the three ships, with the nearly crippled Faith flying up behind them. Everyone watched as the _Eternal_ and the _Kusanagi_ fired one final barrage at the already dying warship. As the warships and their escorts drove through the breach, Athrun, Erik, Yzak, Dearka, Nicol, Saul and Shiho gave a departing salute out of respect to what had been their ship and its crew.

Seeing the Justice, Conviction, Faith and DEEP Arms, Ades stood and saluted the four as the _Vesalius_ exploded in a massive fireball.

Rau watched his flag's destruction emotionlessly.

"All remaining troops, we're retreating!" he ordered. "Regroup at coordinates Delta Zero."

The loss of the _Vesalius_ and Ades's death was of no concern to him. Once Flay handed over the disk she carried to Azrael, the last stage of his ultimate plan would be set in motion.

* * *

The _Dominion_

With the last of the mobile suits aboard and secured, the _Dominion_ and its escorts took off, heading back to the Moon.

Flay, meanwhile, had been escorted to the bridge. She was nervous… no. She was scared. This ship was like the _Archangel_. But it wasn't. They were the _Archangel_'s enemies. Which meant she wasn't any safer here than she had been with ZAFT.

"So you're Flay Allster."

She turned to see Azrael approaching her. His eyes locked on the disk she held in her hands and a grin formed on his face.

"So, is this that key you mentioned?" he asked, reaching for it.

Before she could react, Azrael plucked it from her hands.

"Y-yes," she answered nervously.

"Interesting," he mused, examining the disk. "Where did you get this?"

"From a ZAFT officer named Le Creuset," said Flay. "He wears a mask."

Azrael's eyes lit up and his smile grew even wider. He quickly left the left the bridge, heading for his quarters.

At that moment, Natarle rose from her chair, surprising Flay.

"It's good to see that you're alive, Flay," she said with a slight smile. "Are you well?"

Flay, finally broke down and began to cry. Seeing this, Natarle wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders, allowing the teen to let it all out, the bridge crew looking sympathetically at the redhead, wishing they could do something for her.

* * *

The Hanger

"Director Azrael congratulates you all on a job well done," said the voice of one of the doctors over the comm.

The five biological CPUs were barely aware of his words, the pain of withdrawal blocking the outside world as they flailed and screamed in agony. The cockpit hatches of their machines opened up. Standing on the catwalks was a doctor carrying six vials of the medicine that would take the pain away. The five pilots immediately unbuckled their safety restraints. They moved as quickly as they could in zero-g, tearing off their helmets. They all quickly drank up the bitter medicine.

Almost instantly, the pain shrank to a dull ache in their entire bodies. Clotho, Christian, Orga, Roslyn and Shani all let out a sigh of relief as they limply floated there.

Meanwhile, the hatch of the Twilight opened, and Louisa calmly stepped out. Those present stared at her with wide-eyes. It was apparent that she was going through withdrawal, trembling in pain, but there was steel in her presence now, and it was apparent that she didn't even notice the pain as she approached the doctor, took the vial, and drank it, all without losing her cool.

Then, she spun and threw the vial at the opposite wall with enough force to shatter it.

"She left me," said Louisa. "I'll kill her… I'll kill her for this!"

* * *

_Eternal_ Hangar

The mechanics could only gape at the condition of the Faith as it was secured in the hangar. The Faith was arguably the strongest of the _Eternal_'s machines, and Makoto arguably the best pilot in their entire fleet, the power of Makoto and the Faith matched only by Kira and the Freedom. The condition of the Faith was unbelievable.

Kira, Athrun, Erik and Makoto all exited their cockpits, landing gently on the hangar deck.

"Makoto…" said Serenity, walking over to the redhead. Makoto turned, eyes blazing with fury, to the Orb noble.

_SMACK!!!_

Eyes widened, only Kira, Serenity and Shizuka able to believe what had just happened as Serenity reached up and lightly touched the delicate flesh where Makoto had just brutally slapped her.

"When we're you going to tell me?" spat Makoto, voice growling with barely suppressed rage. "Well?! Answer me, mother!"

Everyone gasped at Makoto's words.

Serenity looked away, tears forming in her eyes. Not from the physical pain of Makoto's slap, but the emotional pain of her daughter's anger.

"It's why we came to Mendel," said Serenity, Shizuka floating down and grabbing hold of Makoto. "We were going to tell you before we left."

"Tell me that everyone has been lying to me for my entire life?!" screamed Makoto, tears of rage floating from her eyes.

"Makoto!" said Kira, reaching forward, as though he could physically force her to stop.

"Divinity, mom!" continued Makoto. "What the hell were you all thinking?! How could you let something like that happen?! And how could you do that to your own daughter, and then lie to her about who she is for her entire life?!"

"Shhh," said Shizuka, turning Makoto around and pulling her niece into a desperate embrace as sobs suppressed since the encounter with Rau racked the redhead's body. "Makoto, she did it for you. Everything Serenity's ever done has been for you."

"Samuel has the records," said Serenity, voice cracking with sadness and self-loathing. "Once he gets here with Chris, Liz and Cagalli, we'll tell you everything."

* * *

The _Archangel_

Murrue entered the infirmary. Mu, who had been treated for his injuries, was sitting on one of the cots, an IV in his arm. He was flipping through an old photo album. She glanced at the old book.

"What is that?" she asked.

"We found that inside the colony," explained Mu. "No, actually Le Creuset pretty much gave it to us."

Mu turned the page. There was a photo of Mu and his father, smiling.

"The thing I remember most about my father, was that he was arrogant and unreasonable," said Mu in a weary tone. "He was always belittling other people. He looked down on just about everyone. He died when I was just a kid. But he still seems to haunt me."

"What do you mean?" asked Murrue.

"As crazy as it sounds, Rau Le Creuset is a clone of my father," said Mu. Murrue gasped in shock. "And a failed one at that. He ages too quickly, shortened telomeres. At this rate, he may not even last a few more years. He's a man with no past and no future, and maybe no true identity."

"So he wants to take the entire world down with him somehow?" asked Murrue.

Mu slowly nodded. "But I won't let him do that," he said. "Even if it costs me my life, I promise I will stop him."

Murrue gently ran her fingers through his hair. "Please don't say things like that."

Mu twisted his head and saw the look in her eyes. All his anger and frustrations melted away. "Sorry," he said before their lips met in a kiss.

* * *

The _Archangel_

"_Samuel,_" came a voice over the radio suddenly. "_It's time._"

Samuel was silent for a moment before he nodded. "Understood, Lady Serenity," he said, standing up and heading to his quarters to retrieve the lockbox where he kept the records his son had given him.

Chris walked through the corridors of the _Archangel_'s crew quarters, a bandage on his left cheek and his left arm in a sling. He was lucky. The chunk of shrapnel that hit his arm just missed the bone. He'd be fine in a week or two.

But that didn't matter. He had failed to rescue Flay. She was right there. And she slipped out of his hands. He punched a wall in frustration with his right hand. He hadn't been strong enough. He had failed her.

"Blaming yourself because of what happened to Flay?" came a voice suddenly.

Chris glanced over her shoulder. "She'll be safe with Badgiruel on that ship," said Samuel, approaching him with a lockbox in hand.

Chris sighed. "I know," he said. "But I had her. She was right there. And I couldn't stop them from taking her."

Samuel put a hand on his grandson's shoulder. "She'll be fine," he said. "No doubt the _Dominion_ is heading back to Moon. She's not a soldier. They'll ship her back to Earth."

It did little to make him feel better. Suddenly, he remembered that lab. He pushed those events into the back of his mind during all the fighting. He couldn't deal with it at the time. But now… now he needed answers.

"Inside Mendel…" he said. "I learned some things. I need to know. Who were my parents really?"

"I knew this question was coming," said Samuel with a sigh. "Come on. We're heading over to the _Eternal_ with Liz. We'll show you the answers there."

* * *

The_ Eternal_

Cagalli hurried through the corridors of the _Eternal_. Kira had asked her to come aboard the ship. Apparently, he had found something important in the colony. She entered the room Kira was in. Inside were Kira, Athrun and Lacus.

"Thanks for coming Cagalli," said Kira, handing her a picture frame.

She let out gasp as she held it. Her hands shook as she pulled out the photo her father had given her. They were two copies of the same picture. Where had this come from?

"Kira?" she asked.

Kira started to shudder and looked away, the memories of that place coming back as fresh as when they happened.

"Lady Serenity is going to explain it," said Kira. "Just as soon as Chris, Liz and General Dante get over here."

At that moment, there was a knock at the door.

"_I'm sorry to disturb you,_" said Martin from the other side of the door. "_But General Dante has arrived with Chris and Liz. They're waiting in the debriefing room with the Taiyonohas._"

Kira nodded, standing up.

"Let's go," he said. "Lacus, Athrun, you guys come as well."

The two nodded, and the four left the room, passing Martin on their way out.

* * *

Azrael's Quarters

The _Dominion_

Azrael inserted the disk he'd taken from Flay into his computer and opened the files. He was very eager to see what Le Creuset had given him. First to come up were the complete schematics of the Freedom and Justice, which was a goldmine in and of itself.

As he had suspected, they were nuclear powered, which explained their amazing capabilities. With this data, the Atlantic Federation could easily build new mobile suits that outclassed even the GAT series. But then he found an even better prize. The words 'N-JAMMER CANCELER' appeared on the screen and Azrael's eyes lit up as his lips stretched into a grin. Every piece of data needed for the device was now in front of him. He laughed maniacally in triumph. Now the Earth Alliance could regain its nuclear weapons capability, and throw it at the Coordinators in full force. The greatest gift of all had been dropped right in his hands.

"Perfect!" he shouted as he laughed the laugh of the mad and the dammed. "This is all too perfect!"

* * *

**Author's Notes: I hope everyone liked that. Personally, while it all seemed pretty good, I think the Makoto-Louisa battle scenes and the _Eternal_ hangar scene were the best in this chapter.**

**So, after a number of confrontations, Makoto decisively defeats Louisa. But just as in her confrontations with Erik, she spares her opponent. Is it odd that she only seems inclined to spare the people who prove themselves to be a real pain in the ass for her? Not only that, but you can recognize some of the early stages of the battle as being virtually identical her battle with Erik during the collapse of Heliopolis. The opening stages, in fact, drew inspiration from the first confrontation of the Wing Zero and Epyon in Gundam Wing.**

**Besides the Makoto-Louisa battle that left both of their machines temporarily crippled, Athrun and Erik, for the first time ever, find themselves struggling to face down grunt units, with their machines barely even operating at all, forcing Yzak and Shiho to come to their rescue. The Drache Schild's electric burst generators are really nasty, aren't they? Of course, this just makes one wonder why the Faith seemed to be unaffected by it. I'll answer that question soon, but truthfully, it's already pretty obvious.**

**Next chapter could take awhile. We get the whole story behind Mendel--or at least, as much of it as David Dante and the Taiyonohas know. Unlike Akatsuki Leader13, who merely showed recordings, I'm gonna take it to the next level--in addition to the recordings, I'm going to be mixing outright flashbacks in. However, I'm certain the wait will be worth it for everyone.**

**On a sidenote, the poll on my profile has received 22 unique voters so far. The leading trio are the Hellfire Blitz, the Faith, and--why am I even surprised?--the Dauntless. The Faith and Dauntless are tied for the lead, with the Hellfire Blitz in third at two-thirds the number of favorite votes they've recieved.**

**Anyways, everyone, please leave a review! Ja ne!  
**


	34. Phase 33: The Truth of Divinity

**Well, here it is. The moment you've all been waiting for: the truth comes out, without Rau's sneering mindgames twisting it. Cold, hard, fact. That's what you get here, and I even included a few minor flashbacks to "flesh things out" a little more. I hope you enjoy it!  
**

**I won't bore you all. I only one thing to note, and that is simply a reminder of a site dedicated to _Gundam SEED Dauntless_, it's planned sequels, and the spin-off one-shots, such as the one corresponding to this chapter, _The End of Divinity_. Here's the "link", and you can check my profile for a proper link as well: **http:/ maileesaeya . jimdo . com/

**Other than that: Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply.**

* * *

Phase Thirty-Three: The Truth of Divinity

July 12th, C.E. 71

* * *

The_ Eternal_

The door to the _Eternal_'s debriefing room opened, and Kira stepped inside, followed by Lacus, Cagalli and Athrun. Just as DaCosta had said, Chris, Liz and Samuel were waiting for them, along with Makoto, Serenity and Shizuka.

"Good, you're here," said Samuel. "Please, have a seat, all of you."

Nodding slightly, the four sat down next Makoto, Chris and Liz.

"How's your arm, Chris?" asked Kira, taking note of the bandages on his friend's face and arm.

"I'll be fine," he replied, waving him off.

"At Mendel, the three of you entered GARM R&D," said Shizuka. "Makoto told me that you learned the truth from Rau Le Creuset."

"We were planning to tell you before we left Mendel," explained Serenity. "We should've told you as soon as Kira got back with Lacus but… I was stalling. Divinity is something I've wanted to bury for a long time."

"So you and everyone else lied to me, _mom_?" said Makoto sharply. A gasp drew the attention of several of the room's occupants to Liz, the only one who hadn't known.

"Yes," said Serenity. "We lied to you about who you were. That doesn't make Naomi and Ichida any less your parents than they were before, Makoto."

"Let's get this over with," said Shizuka, turning to Samuel. The Orb General nodded.

"I've never set foot in Mendel myself, but I have one of the few surviving records of what happened," he explained, pulling out a pocket hard drive. "I had wanted to explain this to all of you when the _Archangel_ first arrived at Orb, as did Lord Uzumi. Since Cagalli and Kira met as they did, we felt it was time to explain the truth of your pasts. The same goes for Makoto, with the death of her adoptive parents and godmother. However, when Lord Uzumi and I spoke with the Yamatos about revealing this, they refused, forcing Lord Uzumi and I to wait. Your mother Kira, is quite a formidable woman."

Kira didn't say anything. "And whatever you think Kira, that woman is as much your mother as the woman in the photograph," added Samuel. "Lady Serenity also voiced objections… though as I learned when the _Archangel_ left Orb, it was for very different reasons."

He cleared his throat and plugged the drive into a port on the podium. "What I hold here is the audio logs my son made during his stay at Mendel," he explained. "It is his words that can best explain what happened at Mendel. My son David and his wife were not medical doctors as they told you."

"Then what were they?" asked Liz.

"Geneticists," he answered, pushing the play button.

* * *

_**April 25, C.E. 50:**__ "This is Dr. David Dante. We've arrived at Mendel. I have to admit, I was uncertain about Ulen's offer. His promise of a state-of-the-art lab and proper funding surprised me. I can't help but wonder where he got it, given his… particular difficulties."_

* * *

_Mendel Colony Spaceport_

_April 25__th__, C.E. 50_

_A man and a woman in their mid-twenties stepped through the doors of the spaceport, looking around them. It was the first time they'd been to Mendel, having spent most of their lives in the Orb Union._

_The man was a several inches taller than the woman and had black hair and grayish-green eyes. The woman had light brown hair and light green eyes. Both were wearing casual clothes and wore matching wedding rings. Their names were David and Claire Dante._

_The moment they stepped outside, Ulen Hibiki, an amber-eyed blond whom David had attended college with, walked towards them._

"_David! Good of you to come," said Ulen, smiling as he shook hands with his college rival._

"_Good to see you too, Ulen," said David, smiling himself. "I don't think you've met my wife, Claire."_

"_Ah, no I haven't," said Ulen, turning to Claire and holding out a hand to her. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Dante."_

"_Claire will be fine, Dr. Hibiki," said Claire, accepting the hand. Ulen chuckled._

"_Only if you'll call be Ulen," he said. "I find 'Dr. Hibiki' can get pretty tiresome, especially since I work with my own wife."_

"_Via? You've mentioned her, but I haven't ever spoken to her," said David. "It'll be nice to finally find a woman with both the brains and the beauty to catch your eye." Ulen laughed lightly._

"_Yes, I guess I should introduce you," he said, leading them to his car. "I've already found a rather nice residence for the two of you, not far from my own."_

"_So, you really do want us to move here?" said David. "You said you had something to make it 'worth our while', but I have no idea what you could be talking about."_

"_I found your research papers on individuals of high spatial awareness fascinating," said Ulen as they climbed into the car and he started it up. "A few years back, I was visited by a wealthy aristocrat from the Atlantic Federation with an offer I'd been in desperate need of. I've been stalled in my research, lacking funding. It can be difficult to procure any when you're trying to avoid Blue Cosmos."_

"_The Ultimate Coordinator? That's a fools dream, Ulen, and we all know it," said David, watching the tree pass by. Mendel was one of the most impressive of the non-PLANT colonies. "Even if you could succeed in your hopes of finding a way to do so, being able to control things like eye and hair color is simple vanity."_

"_Oh, I completely agree," said Ulen. "But that's not what I'm really hoping for. I've found a defect in Coordinators, David, one that could rob you of grandchildren, and certainly rob any of your children of theirs."_

"_What do you mean?" questioned David._

"_You're a geneticist, David, but I don't think you've studied the Coordinator body as thoroughly as I have," said Ulen, tone grim. "The modifications rob Coordinators of the natural genetic input in reproduction. In other words, Coordinators grow increasingly sterile the greater their generation. By my estimates, only one in every ten thousand marriages amongst third-generation Coordinators will produce children. And the fourth generation will be completely infertile."_

_David and Claire exchanged concerned glances._

"_That's an unpleasant thought, but even if you correct it with the Ultimate Coordinator, you'd hardly be solving the problem entirely," said Claire, who'd been told of Ulen's ambition by David. "There are over twenty million Coordinators out there."_

"_Far more than that, many of them hiding or in the PLANTs," said Ulen. "I'm hoping that it will enable me to find a cure. Failing that, any viable Ultimate Coordinator may be able to succeed, or at the very least, fulfill George Glenn's dream."_

"_What do you mean?" asked David, frowning. "I was under the impression his dream was for Coordinators to coordinate us on the path to space. The Ultimate Coordinator would just cause a greater schism if it got out."_

"_Actually, that's where another researcher comes in," said Ulen. "Doctor Sera Takara. Brilliant woman. She's a Natural, but she's probably smarter than the two of us combined. She knows Glenn personally, and it seems he thought of the purpose of Coordinators as coordinating the next step in human evolution. And that's where you come in."_

"_The spatial awareness research," said Claire in sudden understanding. Ulen nodded._

"_It's unsightly," he said. "I don't like it, but I procured funds for my project and a dozen more like it. GARM R&D is possibly the safest place for us to perform our research. The funds were from that Atlantic Federation aristocrat. The fool figures he can thwart death itself with his money. In exchange for the funding, he made me create clones of him."_

"_Clones? That's illegal, Ulen," said David, somewhat scoldingly. "And besides, the method doesn't work."_

"_Everything about our current research is illegal, thanks to those damn religious fools back on Earth," grumbled Ulen. "Al Da Flaga is a fool. I realize it won't work, but the funding he offered was incredible. I want us both to succeed. And possibly Dr. Takara as well. She has her own theories about the evolution of humanity, and apparently disagrees somewhat with George Glenn's assessment. She feels the information regarding the existence of Coordinators could help us learn more about the next step in evolution, but doesn't believe they'll coordinate that step. She's the one who published those papers on the SEED Factor."_

"_Ah yes, the SEED," said David, shaking his head. "It comes across to me as a fairy tale. I've checked, and I've found absolutely no evidence of its existence."_

"_Neither have I," admitted Ulen. "But she's adamant about it, and she's got Professor Durandal's aid as well."_

"_Professor Joseph Durandal?" asked Claire, surprised. "Maybe there's foundation in this 'SEED' after all." Ulen shrugged._

"_Who knows?" he said. "If it's true, then at the very least, it'll probably prove a less unsightly method of curing Coordinator infertility than my Ultimate Coordinator project. Still, I'm funding her as well. As I said, she's brilliant, and some of the advice and knowledge she's offered me has been tremendously helpful. Not to mention, she brought in a few other geniuses, like the Kamakuras."_

* * *

_**April 26, C.E. 50:**__ "I agree with Ulen wholeheartedly. The means by which we ended up procuring our funds is unsightly, but the lab it's gotten us is easily the largest and most sophisticated I have ever seen. It will be more than adequate for our purposes."_

"_Interestingly, a lot of the researchers here are drawn from the Republic of East Asia and Equatorial Union. Well, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Ulen explained to me that he's had to be cautious in drawing in recruits in order to keep us hidden from Blue Cosmos. He also introduced me to Dr. Sera Takara. He's right. The woman's brilliant."_

* * *

_GARM R&D_

_April 26__th__, C.E. 50_

"_Dr. Sera Takara," the woman introduced herself with a smile. The woman warm brown eyes and straight, light brown hair that fell halfway to her shoulders. "You must be David Dante. Dr. Hibiki speaks very highly of you."_

"_Good to know I'm not forgotten," joked David with a glance at Ulen as he shook Sera's hand. "In any event, yes, I am David Dante." Sera nodded._

"_Dr. Hibiki's shown me your papers on advanced spatial awareness," she said, shaking her head slightly. "I was impressed by your assessment, but I think you may have overlooked some things."_

"_Oh?" questioned David, raising an eyebrow. Ulen's sudden smirk worried him._

"_Yes," said Sera. "To start, you've been ridiculed by the scientific community at large for your lack of definitive evidence. You haven't been looking in the right places…"_

* * *

"_I freely admit, I have never felt so ashamed. There was something about her that made me feel like I was in kindergarten again."_

"_Not that she was the only one I was introduced too. As Ulen said, she views the world very differently from he or I, brilliant as she is. Still, I'll give her 'Superior Evolutionary Element Destiny-Factor' the benefit of the doubt. If Professor Durandal supports it, that's enough to make me look twice."_

"_Ulen also introduced me to one of my biggest supporters. Perhaps ironically, it's Dr. Yushiro Kamakura, someone that Dr. Takara brought to the group. He and his wife will be working under me. Professor Joseph Durandal, it turns out, is also a strong supporter, though he seems more in favor of Dr. Takara. Of course, the man also has some interesting ideas of his own now. I spent half an hour with him. In that time, he spoke of only two things. His son, Gilbert if I recall correctly, whom I understand is quite brilliant, even for a Coordinator. And how he seeks to use science to unlock man's destiny. Whatever that means. Heh heh… and people consider my ideas strange. But the man is entitled to his beliefs."_

"_Though there is one man that makes me, well, uncomfortable. Dr. Mikhail Andras. When I voiced my concerns over the man to Claire, she brushed me off, saying I was being foolish. But I know what I saw. I caught Andras looking at me with a look of utter disgust."_

"_I don't trust the man. It seems Dr. Takara agrees with me, and Ulen doesn't much like him either, but apparently, his assistance is invaluable in Ulen's work, and some of the stuff Ulen's offered to assist me is thanks to Andras."_

"_Aside from that man, though, things look good here. I feel that we can perhaps accomplish great things here."_

_**May 10, C.E. 50:**__ "I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Takara's fiancé today. Hyotaru Ezakiya. He's an interesting man himself, so I guess I can see the attraction between the two, though how he deals with her ability to make everyone around her feel like children is something I don't think I'll_ ever_ understand."_

"_I also had the… 'pleasure'… of meeting another acquaintance of Dr. Takara's. Asher Hyata. He doesn't give me the uneasy feeling Andras does, but there's a clear air of arrogance about him. Turns out, he's in this to beat Dr. Takara. It seems the two have been very unfriendly rivals throughout their lives."_

"_No one likes him, but it turns out that his attachment to our projects and getting some of the funding for his own work was an additional 'charge' for procuring our current funding. According to Ulen, if Al Da Flaga kicks the bucket before our work is done, the first thing he plans to do is get rid of Hyata."_

_**March 24, C.E. 51:**__ "Our research has been going smoothly. We've discovered several genetic markers that are linked to these spatial awareness mutations. Also, Eve Walser, one of the researchers under Sera coined a term for our work. Hers, Ulen's and mine. 'Divinity', she called it. She apparently thinks of the Ultimate Coordinator as being the perfect physical manifestation of humans—the 'body of god'. My spatial awareness research as the ultimate mental manifestation of humans—the 'mind of god'. And Sera's SEED research as the discovery of the spiritual, evolutionary building blocks of all life, human or otherwise—the 'soul of god'."_

"_I have to admit, it's fitting, in a strange way. Ulen and Sera agreed with me. We've codenamed our research the Divinity Projects."_

"_There was also something interesting today. With the ongoing renovations, I've been getting lost quite frequently. I happened to discover a room I had never seen before. Inside were a number of frozen fetuses in capsules. Curious to what this room was, I hacked a computer terminal inside the room. All of the fetuses were labeled Al Da Flaga Number 002, Al Da Flaga Number 003, Al Da Flaga Number 004, and so on."_

"_They were the clones Ulen had told me about, and a lot of them. I admit, I got curious about these clones; I began to study their DNA on the computer. Some of the spatial awareness markers were present in their DNA. In fact, they have the most makers present in their DNA structure of anyone I've studied to date."_

"_But apparently my hacking didn't go unnoticed. Just as I as logged out of the computer, Ulen arrived."_

* * *

_GARM R&D_

_March 24, C.E. 51_

"_So, you found them, huh?" said Ulen, stepping into the room, shaking his head. "I admit, while I'm not surprised that you hacked in to learn more about what this room was, I'd honestly expected you to just leave it at that."_

_David shrugged. "I got curious," he said. "Ulen, I've found markers. And lots of them."_

"_Really?" said Ulen, surprised, stepping over to the terminal. "Let me see."_

_David did so, quickly bringing back up his findings. Ulen looked them over with a critical eye._

"_Well, I don't claim to be the expert on this that you are, but I'd say Al Da Flaga was more a blessing then we thought," said Ulen._

"_I'd like to study the DNA of these clones for my project, if that isn't a problem," said David. Ulen shrugged, standing straight._

"_Go ahead," he said. "If Da Flaga was dead, I'd even offer you some of the clones. I don't think any good can come of them, save whatever good our projects might bring."_

* * *

_**August 10, C.E. 51:**__ "Things have been progressing far better than I had expected. I've left Claire and Yushiro to study the DNA and identify the genetic markers linked to these mutations, while I have taken to resuming the work we did before we moved to Mendel. The study of the people with these markers themselves."_

"_Interestingly, it seems these mutations are more prevalent among the entire population than I first thought. Yet few ever display any sign of it. Perhaps for most, an external factor is required. But what?"_

"_I am now more confident than ever that if we discover the secrets behind these mysteries, we will have the key to humanity's future as a species. From Naturals and Coordinators to a new type of being."_

"_Hmm… Newtype… yes… I like that. That's what they shall be called. Newtypes."_

_**October 15, C.E. 51:**__ "I was right! The information we've gained in these past months from Da Flaga's DNA has opened up all new possibilities! We've managed to locate most, if not all of the genetic markers linked to Newtypes."_

"_Needless to say, everyone is quite ecstatic in the lab. Everything we have worked for is coming together. We expect to begin experimenting early next year. And that will be the difficult matter…"_

"_Most people don't realize that George Glenn was not the first true Coordinator. There were dozens of children before that could be considered Coordinators that came before him. But no one remembers them. Nor do they remember those that came before Glenn and didn't survive…"_

"_Let's hope that I don't loose as many…"_

_**January 20, C.E. 52:**__ "Things are progressing smoothly so far. We are almost ready to begin. In a couple of weeks, we'll begin. I must admit, I am quite nervous. I wonder if the scientists that created the process to create Coordinators felt this way when they began their experiments. Do I have the right to do this? Should I be doing this, unnaturally speeding up something that should occur naturally?"_

"_No. We've come this far. We must see it through."_

_**January 24, C.E. 52:**__ "Ulen seems to have made progress on his artificial womb. He's been working on it for more than two years now, after the disaster of his last batch. He's asked that we provide him with anyone we feel we can spare at the moment. He doesn't want to lose the children in this next group, even if they are bred purely from artificial insemination. Sera's momentarily suspended her research. Progress there, it seems, has been slow, and her entire team will be assisting in the early stages of development. I've assigned Elise and Takamori to help him out while we finish preparations for the next step in our own work._

_**February 4, C.E. 52:**__ "I've recalled Elise and Takamori. The first generation has been seeded. We've impregnated twelve volunteers. Once the embryos reach the proper stage, we will begin the genetic enhancements."_

"_Ulen's lost two embryos in his artificial wombs already. So far, it looks like he's got another round of failures coming. A part of me wants to tell him to stop before he scars his soul more, but when I looked at him, I realized he wasn't ready to give up. Each life lost only makes his resolve firmer, and he strives to learn from each failure. Half his work is dedicated simply to making sure they survive, with no concern for whether or not they get beyond even the 'high-Natural, low-Coordinator' levels."_

_**April 27, C.E. 52:**__ "The pregnancies have been difficult for the mothers so far. Two backed out and the fetuses were aborted. But all things considering, the project is going smoothly. We've moved the mothers into the labs, where they're being monitored at all times by several members of my staff. I'm not taking any chances."_

_**July 13, C.E. 52:**__ "Things have not gone smoothly. There have been two miscarriages in the last week. I don't understand what went wrong. We were monitoring the women closely. What they ate. The amount of daily activity they performed. What medications they received. There is no reason for this to have happened."_

"_Fortunately, none of the mother's died. That would have caused some major problems for us had any of the mothers died. But–"_

"_Sorry to interrupt Doctor, but we've lost subject 010."_

"_And the mother?"_

"_She's survived."_

"_Alright. Have the fetus brought here for study immediately."_

"_Yes Doctor."_

"_Make that three miscarriages in the last week… I… I'll finish this later."_

_**October 29, C.E. 52:**__ "This first generation has been nothing but a spectacular failure. We've had three more miscarriages, bringing the total to six. And the four children that were born… were born deformed… physically and neurologically."_

"_I had them euthanized. They shouldn't suffer because of my mistakes. But I swear, I will study my mistakes and solve them. I don't want anymore children to suffer like that."_

_**January 21, C.E. 53:**__ "We're still desperately trying to find every conceivable factor that could have contributed to the failures of the first generation. It has been difficult to say the least."_

"_But we're not the only ones. Ulen has become stalled under more failures, but like me, he has stubbornly refused to throw in the towel. But it's still getting to him. We talked the other day. He told me he's starting to feel like a mass-murderer. The children may have been artificially inseminated, but it's clear that he saw them like they were his own."_

"_He also confessed that Via's beginning to strain under this even more than him. She's doing better than him outside the lab, but inside, she's letting her emotions get the better of her. I've overheard some of the others talking about it. They're beginning to doubt Ulen's humanity because he's able to keep so calm in the lab."_

"_But outside of it… I think he wants everyone to see him that way. To see him as he's begun to see himself."_

"_As a murderer."_

_**March 19, C.E. 53:**__ "George Glenn was assassinated yesterday. It came as a shock to all of us. Then again, perhaps we shouldn't be surprised. Even still, who would've thought someone would kill him when he was surrounded by children?"_

"_That's not even the worst of it, for us. Sera's had a breakdown. As it turned out, she's one-quarter Coordinator. George Glenn… was her grandfather."_

"_I now understand how she had such insight into the man. She never spoke of him with reverence or admiration. She always spoke of him with love. It was obvious she adored him. We all thought it was strange, but now it makes sense."_

"_That son of a bitch, Hyata, seems most pleased by this turn of events. When Ulen saw him, well… I think Hyata's only alive because Ulen didn't have a gun on hand."_

"_Something else of interest that Sera mentioned briefly. Something that's left both Ulen and I just a little more depressed. George Glenn was the very first Coordinator. There were no prototypes, no lives lost. Just… success."_

"_And yet we've been met with failure. Still, I suppose not all of us can be as fortunate as the geneticist who created the First Coordinator. We must press on."_

_**July 28, C.E. 53:**__ "I believe we've corrected the errors that caused the failures of the first generation. But I'm hesitant to try again on human subjects. I want to make sure I get it right this time, even if it means years of work. But much of my staff, including my wife, are urging me to start the second generation of test subjects. They believe that we won't get anywhere without more testing. But I honestly don't know what to do now."_

"_Wait and study more, or push on and see what happens. What should I do?"_

_**August 8, C.E. 53:**__ "Yushiro has recently found out that his wife, Ami, is pregnant. They've volunteered their unborn child as a test subject. We were all stunned by this. It's one thing to have a woman off the street volunteer; it's another to have someone you know quite well volunteer. But they are fully aware of the risks and are willing to take it."_

"_If they're willing to take that risk, than I must push on. I must stop worrying. Risks are a part of life. We… I must take them if we are to succeed. I've been too afraid of repeating my mistakes. The only way science will ever advance is if we take risks. If I don't succeed, then at least I'll have laid down the foundation for future scientists to continue and perfect."_

_**August 10, C.E. 53:**__ "We had a pair of surprise visitors today. Ami's sister and brother-in-law, Naomi and Ichida Arata."_

* * *

Stunned gasps filled the debriefing room, and the eyes of the teenagers present all focused on Makoto.

* * *

"_Naomi, it seems, is also pregnant, and, unlike Ami's other two sisters, is apparently aware of what we're up to here. She's volunteered for the project as well. She's willing to take the risk, and it seems she's somewhat uncertain about being a mother."_

"_This was a surprise for all of us, especially Ami and Sera. Naomi's tacked Sera as a godmother-to-be if the child is, indeed, born."_

"_I'm amazed she can be so calm when talking about the potential loss of her own child. But perhaps she feels she should leave it up to destiny."_

_**August 13, C.E. 53:**__ "It's been done. The second generation has begun. Ami, Naomi and ten other women have agreed to it. One of the other women is Via's younger sister, Caridad Yamato. Tomorrow, we'll be beginning the enhancements of Ami and Naomi's children. The other mother's have another week or so before we begin their enhancements."_

* * *

Kira tensed. He was the Yamato's only child. He knew how it was going to end.

* * *

"_We're taking a different approach this time. Rather than performing all of the enhancements in a single procedure, we're spreading it out over of the course of a week. Hopefully, this will allow both mother and embryo to better adapt to what we've done."_

"_Ulen's also changed his approach. He's only going to take a single child at a time. Clayton Krenz, one of his people, has apparently been getting impatient for this, and the next embryo for Ulen's project has been placed in the artificial womb."_

_**August 20, C.E. 53:**__ "Sera's finally pulled herself out of her depression, and she's more determined than ever to prove her SEED Factor theory a reality. On the plus side, outside of her recovery, of course, I no longer feel like a child in her presence."_

"_The downside is that I feel as though I'd be better off selling my soul to the devil than doing anything to evenly mildly irritate her. Everyone's stepping lightly around her now, and no one's willing to even think of objections to anything she does. Even Hyata and Andras have backed down."_

_**December 22, C.E. 53:**__ "So far things have progressed much smoother than last time. The pregnancies have been difficult, but less than the pregnancies before them. And only a single miscarriage; not bad considering the early miscarriage rates of Coordinator births."_

"_But I am growing concerned for Caridad. Not because she's having problems. Far from it. But I fear she's becoming attached to the child in her womb. When she first volunteered, she felt that she wouldn't make a good mother and felt she was too young to, perhaps similar to Naomi. And I told her, as I told all the other women, do not get attached to the child. Due to the fact that most of the volunteers are women who need the money we pay them for volunteering, this hasn't been a major issue. But now I fear that having this child has changed her mind. Her husband, Haruma, has told me that the other day he caught her picking names for her unborn child. This does not bode well for us should she lose the child."_

_**January 20, C.E. 54:**__ "I haven't updated this log in few weeks. Things have been quite hectic as of late."_

"_We all received quite a shock, especially Caridad. As it turns out, the child in the artificial womb at the moment is the twin to the one growing in Caridad's own."_

"_Krenz, it turned out, stole the child and placed it in one of the previous artificial wombs, then volunteered to perform the insemination, and when no one was looking, put Caridad's child in there."_

"_Ulen was enraged. I've never seen him so angry before. Krenz, no doubt, would rather have been caught before a stampede then face what he did. Andras and Hyata had to pull Ulen off of Krenz to save the man's life, and even now, he's in critical condition. The rest of us were too busy trying to not follow Ulen's lead."_

"_Ulen's cutoff almost all non-work contact with others. He's dedicated himself completely to ensuring the survival of that child. If he loses that child… and especially if Caridad also loses the other one…"_

"_I don't know what will happen. I just don't know. But I know that I'm scared."_

"_I… I just don't know what to do. I've redoubled my own efforts to ensure that Caridad does have her child."_

_**January 22, C.E. 54:**__ "Professor Durandal's son, Gilbert, has just recently graduated from university, despite being barely more than a teenager. The Professor has offered him a position in the labs here, one that Ulen approved. To my surprise, Gilbert asked to be put on my project. I accepted his request. He may be a boy, but he is quite brilliant. Maybe not in Sera's class, but he's the closest I've ever seen, and I am curious to see how well he does here."_

"_Also, the situation with Caridad has not improved. I tried to talk to her. But she's become fixated on becoming a mother. She wants this child now, and the other one in Ulen's project. I've warned her that there's the possibility that her child may not survive the pregnancy or worse, and that none have survived the artificial womb. But she doesn't care. They're her children and she will raise them regardless of the outcome. Both Via and Haruma have tried to convince her that things could go wrong as well. But she refuses to see it. I hope for her sake that we are just worrying about nothing."_

_**April 11, C.E. 54:**__ "We've had a series of premature births. Most of the second generation has been born already, with mixed results. Only Ami and Naomi's children have yet to be born. While three children were born safely and without any deformities, six were either stillborn or just as badly deformed as the last generation. Among those six was Caridad's son."_

"_While the child was born successfully, it suffered severe physical and neurological deformities. The child would have lived a short, pained life. Haruma and I agreed that the child's suffering should be ended quickly as a mercy. But Caridad refused. I can still hear her screams of 'Murderers'."_

"_I… I… I just can't do this right now. I don't believe in god, but I pray that the other child survives. Signing off."_

_**May 2, C.E. 54:**__ "Ami died giving birth yesterday. It had been a long and difficult birth and in the end, her body gave out. But she did live long enough to see her daughter for the first and last time. She named her Misuumi, after her eldest sister's husband, and named Sera her godmother before passing on."_

"_I had thought Yushiro and Naomi would blame me for what happened. But they didn't. Yushiro told me that they knew the risks and accepted them. Naomi reinforced the fact that she made the same choice."_

"_Unfortunately, most of the special enhancements we created didn't take in most of the children. They are little more than Coordinators. But the initial looks at Misuumi's DNA have given me hope. Some of the markers didn't take, but a number of them did."_

"_Not quite the ideal Artificial Newtype I had envisioned, but a likely prototype of my vision."_

"_We are close. So very close. I just need to perfect it."_

_**May 7, C.E. 54:**__ "Naomi gave birth earlier today. Like Ami, it was a long and difficult birth, but somehow, she pulled through. Like Ami, she also gave birth to a daughter. She named her Minako."_

* * *

Uncertain glances were cast Makoto's way. She'd never mentioned having a sister, and she hadn't known that Serenity was her real mother until recently.

* * *

"_Like Misuumi, an initial look shows that some of the markers didn't take, but a number of them did in her as well. This has been a tremendous aid to the project. However, I've had everyone transferred to Ulen's project."_

"_Ulen's close. The time for birth is almost there. Caridad's other child must survive!"_

_**May 19, C.E. 54:**__ "It's done. Caridad's second son has been born. It was such a relief for her, and in many respects, it's the brightest moment in my four years working here. She named him Canard."_

"_He's not an Ultimate Coordinator, but he's definitely on the high end of things. Ulen's taking advantage of all this as well, and is doing everything he can to improve the artificial womb, if only to ensure that all future children can survive as Canard has."_

* * *

The group of teens in the debriefing room tensed almost unconsciously. Why had none of them ever heard of this Canard before?

* * *

"_There's something else. Something of great concern to Ulen, Sera and I. We haven't shared it with anyone else but my wife, Yushiro, Via, Caridad, Haruma, Naomi and Ichida."_

"_The premature births… they were a result of sabotage. Somebody intentionally gave the women a formula that caused them to go into labor. Ami and Naomi didn't get this. No, instead, somebody tried to poison them outright. That's what really killed Ami. Her body probably could've held up to the poison by itself, but compounded with the pregnancy, it killed her. Naomi barely survived herself, and it seems the poison was simply less prevalent in her blood. Not only that, but this poison was like nothing any of us have ever seen before. It didn't affect the children directly. It was supposed to kill them through the deaths of their mothers in labor."_

"_Somebody is trying to sabotage us… and my gut says that whoever it is, it's the same person that got Krenz to do what he did with Canard."_

"… _And something else. Even though she survived, this poison has rendered Naomi sterile. She'll never have another child."_

_**June 26, C.E. 54:**__ "Ulen's suggested postponing further research into Newtypes. He thinks we should perfect the artificial womb and use that for an Artificial Newtype so as to avoid risking the life of the mother. Like most of us, he took Ami's death hard."_

"_I was tempted. I was very tempted. But ultimately, I refused. Ulen was quite understanding of my decision. We just can't risk it. Already, the development of children made to be Artificial Newtypes is risky enough. To put in the artificial womb…"_

"_And besides, Ami was the only mother to be lost, and that was because of that damned poison. Ulen still hasn't figured out who was behind it, but he confided to me that he's carefully diverted some of the excess funds to investigating the matter and trying to trace the poison."_

"_The instant he finds out… well, I think we'll all be ready. Knowing that Ami was murdered… if we find out who did it… we'll be out for blood, of _this_ I have no doubt."_

"_I also got a mild bit of amusement from Andras. He commented that we should wait for the Artificial Womb because the problems we've been experiencing are the mother's fault. It was infuriating. Ulen punched the bastard so hard that he's still in the hospital with a severe concussion. Ulen busted his hand in the process, but he told me, rather smugly, that it was worth it, and he's been waiting to do that for a long time."_

"_In any event, it did raise a point that I had not considered. The parents of the child. And I wasn't the only one to realize that. Gilbert did as well. We need to study the DNA of the parents of the children that lived. If there's something linking them all together, than we can determine which parents could successfully give birth to an Artificial Newtype."_

"_And Gilbert raised another point I had ignored. All of the parents of the children have been Naturals. We haven't tried it on a Coordinator couple. If the parents are Coordinators, or at least the mother, it would likely increase the chances of a successful birth."_

"_If we can get that down, we can then work on finding a way for anyone to have a Newtype child."_

_**July 9, C.E. 54:**__ "Something rather interesting has happened. A week ago, Yushiro reported several unusual instances involving his daughter. He claimed that there had been a few instances where he instinctively knew his daughter was hungry without her giving any physical indications. He described it as 'I would be holding her when this sudden feeling that she was hungry entered my mind. She wouldn't cry or give any other indication that she was hungry, yet somehow I knew she was hungry'. Curious, Claire and I took care of her for much of the past week. And we both experienced it a few times ourselves. But it only seemed to work if one of us was in physical contact with her. But it only happened a few times. The rest of the time, she cried like a normal child."_

"_There was one other instance of unusual behavior. On Saturday, we took her for a stroll through a nearby park. For most of the trip, she had been quiet. But when we approached a playground full of playing children, she suddenly started giggling like someone was playing with her despite the fact she was still in a stroller. Perhaps she was feeling all of the positive emotions from the other children."_

"_Part of me thinks that these are signs of Newtype abilities. But the more rational part of me says that I don't have enough information to determine whether or not she has developed such abilities."_

"_Yushiro brought her to the lab so he and Gilbert ran some tests on her. Oddly, she wouldn't stop crying the moment he brought her in. No matter what we did, she wouldn't calm down. They did manage to perform some tests. There was some slight odd activity in her brain, but beyond that, nothing out of the ordinary. Regardless, we shall keep a close eye on her as she grows up."_

_**July 12, C.E. 54:**__ "We found another potential sign of Newtype abilities. Naomi and Ichida were visiting from Orb to bring news that Naomi's elder sister, Serenity, is pregnant. They brought Minako with them. Minako has been showing the same unusual behavior and seeming Newtype abilities as Misuumi has shown. Not only that, but when the two were near each other, they were giggling the same way Misuumi had when she'd been brought near that playground full of children."_

"_And when we brought Minako in for a test like we did with Misuumi, she also wouldn't stop crying from the moment we brought her in. The results showed even more unusual activity than Misuumi's did."_

_**July 15, C.E. 54:**__ "How? How could this happen? Are there more saboteurs?"_

"_Canard disappeared yesterday. Ulen almost diverted all our funding to investigating and finding Canard, but didn't because Da Flaga would cut us off if he did. Damn it… everything's going wrong. If this keeps up…"_

_**July 19, C.E. 54:**__ "There were some unexpected guests today, but we expect them to become full-time residents. Naomi's sisters."_

"_Ladies Serenity and Shizuka Taiyonoha. I didn't realize I had one of Orb's Noble class working under me."_

"_Lady Serenity's contracted some sort of disease that's rendered her infertile. We suspect it's related to the poison that killed Ami. It hasn't reached the embryo of her child, yet, but when it does, the child will die."_

"_And that's why she's here. Sera's been making progress, but unlike Ulen and I, has not experimented on bringing the 'SEED' out in a child. Lady Serenity, it seems, is a strong believer in the SEED and in Sera. Her child can be saved with Coordinator modifications, but the sterile line—particularly since Misuumi and Minako also suffer from Coordinator infertility—threatens the Taiyonoha bloodline. Lady Serenity wishes to protect that. We've considered Ulen's artificial womb, but we universally rejected that, which suits Lady Serenity just fine."_

"_It seems, she wishes to give birth to the child herself."_

"_In some respects, what Serenity is asking is exactly what these projects—what Divinity—is truly about. It's risky, but…"_

"_Sera's going to attempt to awaken the SEED in Lady Serenity's child. If it's true… it'll be glorious. We've guarded this information from Andras and Hyata, though. They're our prime suspects for the sabotage and Canard's kidnapping."_

_**August 12, C.E. 54:**__ "We've done it. We've located the genetic markers that will determine how likely a child with the Newtype genes will be successfully born to a couple. Out of curiosity, I ran a check on the DNA of everyone working in the labs. Some of the results were surprising. Ami had many of the markers in her DNA, more than even the clones but obvious signs of 'dormancy', while Yushiro had only a few. Furthermore, Naomi and Ichida both had many of the markers in their DNA, and like Ami, Naomi had even more than the clones did, but with the same signs of dormancy. Not only that, but Ulen and Via share a large number of the markers needed, which surprised them."_

"… _And both Claire and myself have a number of markers. Something I am less than pleased about, for one simple reason."_

"_Claire is pregnant."_

"_She hasn't told me yet. I've seen her exhibit the early signs. I know she's going to ask me to use our child as a test subject."_

"_But I need to stay impartial. If my child becomes a test subject, how can I remain impartial and unbiased?"_

"_But on the other hand, I have the prefect conditions right here, right now. Parents with the ideal DNA and a Coordinator mother to increase chances of a successful birth."_

"_I need to think on this matter."_

_**August 21, C.E. 54:**__ "Claire asked me to use our child. I asked her to let me think about it, and I talked to Ulen and Sera. They gave me the same advice."_

"_They said I should do it."_

"_After what happened with Canard, Ulen believes that remaining detached and impartial is more likely to cause problems than not. He thinks that I'll do and think things with my own child that never would've occurred to me if I remained impartial."_

"_Sera said much the same. She's continued to break through where she could not before in her efforts to ensure Serenity's child—her next godchild—is born as an entirely fertile Coordinator, with a line that will not be ended by a mild genetic defect."_

"_I'm beginning to think I was wrong about Newtypes, but Ulen and Sera have both urged me on. I'll do it. A third generation with a single child, much as Ulen's third generation—Canard—turned out to be."_

"_I've made my decision. I'll do it."_

* * *

Liz, who knew her brother's birthday, had already done the math. She turned to her brother, a fearful, questioning expression on her face. Chris only nodded his head once, not looking at her.

* * *

_**September 22, C.E. 54:**__ "I can't believe I didn't see this coming. It shocked all of us. Via recently became pregnant with twins, not terribly long after Claire became pregnant. Ulen took one of the embryos and put it in the artificial womb."_

* * *

Kira's eyes widened. It was true. He had been born from an artificial womb.

* * *

"_It's a truly odd thing. To have a twin sibling that was grown in an entirely separate womb. Would they still be twins? Could the child in that machine be truly considered born? Or would it be considered manufactured? I wonder how Canard would've faced these questions if he were here and his own twin had lived."_

"_Whatever the case, I fear that any child born of that machine would likely suffer psychological problems if they ever learned how they came into this world and of the lives lost in perfecting this. If Ulen's child survives, then I hope these records can make coping easier."_

"_This action has also strained his relationship with Via, which isn't all that surprising. From what I've heard, she didn't exactly agree to having her child placed in that machine. I think this is what Ulen wanted, though. He considers it his punishment—and is determined to ensure his child survives and becomes the Ultimate Coordinator."_

"_As to my project, things are progressing smoothly. Claire is having some difficulties, but nothing serious."_

_**January 8, C.E. 55:**__ "It seems that Ulen and Via are having serious problems, just as I'm sure he hoped for. And far more than I had first realized. Via is furious at Ulen for taking her second child. I caught the two of them arguing in a hallway. It sounds like she's done with his whole project and him. I won't be surprised if she sued for divorce. And honestly, I don't know whose side I'd take. Probably Via's. Of course, I suppose that would be taking Ulen's side as well, since I'm still certain he wants her to hate him."_

"_Claire… she's doing fine. No unexpected difficulties."_

_**January 17, C.E. 55:**__ "Sera's made a massive breakthrough. She's succeeded, were almost certain of it. We observed incredible readings from Serenity's daughter, and she hasn't even been born yet!"_

"_We've increased the security on her and Claire as well. Our saboteur isn't going to hurt them!"_

_**February 3, C.E. 55:**__ "Ulen and Via reconciled today. She's redoubled her own efforts to protect her son. She hasn't forgiven Ulen entirely yet, but it's clear that she has no intention of leaving him. He and I spoke again, today, really talked, for the first time in quite awhile."_

"_My previous assessment was right. He wanted her to hate him. He wanted her to take both children and leave him forever. But he had no intention of dying until he'd accomplished one, final task."_

"_As soon as his children are born, he intends to set out to find Canard. He told me that he plans to find his nephew and bring him back to Caridad, even if it's the last thing he ever does."_

_**April 1, C.E. 55:**__ "All's been well so far. Serenity gave birth earlier today to the heir of the Taiyonoha House and the first 'perfect' Coordinator. Makoto Michiru Taiyonoha."_

* * *

Despite all knowing it was coming, Liz, Athrun, Lacus and Cagalli all gasped, eyes riveted on Makoto who had her hands clasped in front of her, head tilted downward, hair falling to conceal her face. Serenity's entire posture radiated shame and self-loathing, but no one, not even Serenity, noticed, too focused on Makoto.

* * *

"_We've run some basic tests. The results are… incredible. Canard, despite being a failure, was nearly as strong and capable as the best Coordinators, a 'first-rate specimen'. Makoto is just as much… or more so. Her abilities are estimated at the upper limits of Coordinator capacity all across the chart. She'll grow up to do great things, we all know it."_

"_And that's not all. The Coordinator defect of lost genetic input is indeed corrected in her. In fact, you could almost say it's been _over_ corrected. Genetic input levels far exceed those of Naturals. Her children and grandchildren and all of her descendants will be incredible people as well."_

"_We've deemed her the first true Ultimate Coordinator. Unlike Canard, she doesn't suffer from infertility, and that's the centerpiece, but her abilities are incredible. We believe she'll be comparatively weaker than Ulen's son, but at the heart of it all, and in the vision of what Divinity started as… she is our first success, and may prove our greatest. Who's to say? We'll be running more tests tomorrow."_

_**April 22, C.E. 55:**__ "Recovery finished. It's been twenty days since that test, and we've only just really recovered from what happened. It was hectic, and a lot of chaos was involved, but on the bright side, it's aided in something Ulen's plotting by destroying all digital records of Divinity, much of which only Ulen, Sera and I had access too."_

"_I suppose I should state just what happened for the benefit of those hearing this—hopefully the 'Children of Divinity', another term coined by Eve."_

"_We found it. Buried deep within the genetic and mental structures of the human body and mind, we found the SEED in Makoto. It's… glorious. After finding it, we slaved together our strongest computers, with literally thousands of zettabytes of free storage space."_

"_With that done, we ran a scan of Makoto's SEED and an 'extraction' of sorts to study it."_

"_For about half a second, the screens were filled with strobing images, pictures, numbers, DNA patterns, binary code and a lot more that we would never make sense of."_

"_In that half a second, our data storage was completely overloaded, and the data began streaming out over the network, out into the colony… and spread across the world like a virus. It happened nearly all at once, faster than we should be able to even transmit data. Over fifty percent of the worlds computers were fried, and both Earth and the colonies suffered from massive blackouts."_

"_We realized, Sera was only partially right. The SEED… it was so much more than we thought it was. I don't know how to describe it…"_

"_I suppose the SEED could be called… life. Whatever that data was, it was more than all the computers and data storage in the world could handle. If it weren't for the auxiliary generators Ulen attached to the artificial womb, we probably would've lost his son when the blackout happened. Power came back quickly, but recovery was slow. In any case, we've learned our lesson."_

"_The SEED is something we shouldn't touch."_

_**May 1, C.E. 55:**__ "It's happening. It's finally happening! Claire went into labor a few hours ago. The labor hasn't ended yet. But I'm sure she'll make it. As will our child."_

"_They have to…"_

_**May 2, C.E. 55:**__ "It's finally over… I nearly lost them, _both _of them. But it's over now."_

"_At 2:37 am, on May 2nd, Claire gave birth to a healthy baby boy. We named him Christopher, after Claire's late father."_

* * *

Cagalli, Athrun, and Lacus turned to Chris, stunned by this. He had closed his eyes and had a slight grimace on his face, his right hand resting on the bridge of his nose.

* * *

"_I should be happy. They both made it through all right. Everything likely went as planned, but I still need to check Chris's DNA. But I haven't done it yet."_

"_In this moment, after everything's that's happened, after the discovery of the SEED, after… everything… all I can think about are Via's words to Ulen on that day, months ago. 'What is this all for? For your sake? Will this bring our child happiness?'"_

"_I need some time to think about things."_

_**May 9, C.E. 55:**__ "I'm closing down the project. I've realized that I've lost touch with why I was doing what I was doing. With the possible exception of Sera, we all did."_

"_What I had tried to make my son into, failed. While he does have the genetic makers, he hasn't displayed anything else like Misuumi and Minako have. Scientifically, he's a failure. But I don't care."_

"_All I can think of now is my arrogance and those children that suffered because of it. I had wanted to help humanity. Instead, my arrogance and vanity led me to playing God. Led me to believing that I could speed up humanity's evolution."_

"_I never truly stopped to consider if Newtypes were truly the next step in human evolution or just a new, separate species of man, even with the growing evidence of the SEED right before my eyes in Makoto."_

"_No matter. I am through with creating Newtypes. I think I understand now why Misuumi and Minako cried the entire time they were here. They could tell what this place really was. A man-made Hell. We strove to make life better for all of humanity. Instead, in our arrogance, we created our own little Hell, where the most innocent of people suffered, for no reason beyond our own arrogance."_

"_We're going to move back to Orb, to continue our original research. Studying natural born Newtypes… and now, I think, those who possess the SEED as well."_

"_Never again will I set foot in this hellhole."_

_**May 18, C.E. 55:**__ "The twins were born today. From Via's womb, a girl, Cagalli. From the artificial womb, a boy, Kira. Our so-called Ultimate Coordinator."_

* * *

Cagalli gasped. Why they were here suddenly made sense. Then she gasped again, realizing everything that they had just heard. She wasn't the only one. Athrun, Lacus, and Liz had their own gasps of surprise.

* * *

_**May 19, C.E. 55:**__ "We tested Kira last night. He was a success. Like Makoto, he does not suffer from Coordinator infertility, nor will any of his children, even if they are with other Coordinators. His abilities, we predict, will also surpass Makoto's. Furthermore, we studied all of the children. Makoto won't be alone in any way. Chris, Kira, Cagalli, Misuumi, Minako… all of them possess the SEED as well."_

"_Ulen also revealed his plans to me. They're finalized now. I won't reveal the details of the closing discussion of Divinity, but, sufficed to say, we'll be turning our Hellhole into a crater."_

"_There's something else of concern to me. Hyata has disappeared. It would seem he was our saboteur. But I've still got a bad feeling about Andras…"_

_**June 3, C.E. 55:**__ "Damn it… I was right all along! Andras was up to something! He's working for Blue Cosmos! He told them everything we were doing there and they came to kill us all. Sera's missing. Ulen is dead, I'm sure of it. Via's probably dead as well. Andras, you son of a bitch!"_

"… _Yushiro is dead too. He shielded me from Andras."_

* * *

_GARM R&D_

_June 3__rd__, C.E. 55_

"_Andras, you son of a bitch!" shouted Yushiro as the two groups exchanged fire in the lab. "I'll kill you for what you did to Ami!"_

"_You're such a fool, Kamakura," came Andras's smug voice. "But don't worry. You're not the one I'm after here. How does it go again, hmmm? Oh, yes. For the Preservation of our Blue and Pure World!"_

_Andras, who'd been moving into a better position, fire at David. Seeing this, Yushiro pushed himself forward, knocking David aside._

_The bullet hit Yushiro dead-on, and Andras, laughing, continued to fire until he was forced to duck._

_Yushiro was dead. He already knew that._

"_David… get… Misuumi… and get yourself and your family out of here," he said through the blood leaking from his mouth._

"_Yushiro!" shouted David before nearly getting hit by a bullet._

"_**ANDRAS!**__"_

* * *

" _I would have died as well if it wasn't for the fact that my father had taught me how to fight and shoot a gun with I was child. I don't know if Joseph or any of the others managed to escape."_

"_But there is some good news to this. Both Claire and Christopher are safe. So are Cagalli and Kira. Via entrusted them to Caridad before she disappeared. Ichida left a few days ago with Serenity, Shizuka and Makoto. Naomi is with us too. But…"_

"_I couldn't fulfill Yushiro's dying wish. We couldn't get to Misuumi, and Minako is missing too! I pray that they're safe but there's nothing more I can do."_

"_Damn Andras! Damn those Blue Cosmos bastards!"_

"_We've been hiding out for a good six hours now. It's not safe for us here anymore. But undoubtedly, they have men keeping an eye on the spaceports."_

* * *

_Unknown Location Within Mendel Colony_

_June 3__rd__, C.E. 55_

"_You stay here and wait for Via," said Ulen, standing up. "I'm going back to GARM."_

"_Ulen, what the hell are you thinking?" asked David. "Half of this colony's been turned into a warzone by those bastards, and GARM is at the heart of it!"_

"_I'm going to activate the bombs," said Ulen. "I told you already, only you, Sera or I can activate those bombs. And ultimately, this is my responsibility. While there, I'll program the lab's computers to believe there's been a maximum level biohazard outbreak. That will create an opening for you and everyone else to get out of here."_

"_Ulen!" said David, but Ulen suddenly punched him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him, proving himself surprisingly strong for a Natural punching a Coordinator._

"_I'm going to do this!" said Ulen. "David, promise me that if I don't make it, you'll do what you can to find Canard for Caridad!"_

_With that, Ulen ran off while David was still trying to recover from the surprisingly heavy blow._

* * *

"_Ulen had hoped to generate an escape route for us while initiating the destruction of the GARM facilities, but the facilities are still standing and his plan hasn't gone into effect, so I can only assume he was killed before he could do so."_

"_I'll have to complete it differently. I won't be able to activate the bombs. But I can remotely trick the lab's computers into thinking there's been a biohazard outbreak at the highest level. This will trigger the emergency evacuation alert in the colony. People will be rushing to the spaceports and it's unlikely that the men watching the ports would stick around during a colony-wide biohazard evacuation. After we escape, we'll head to Heliopolis and then Orb as planned. We'll be safe there. David Dante signing off."_

* * *

With that, the recording ended.

"After that, the eight of you entered Heliopolis for two weeks until they were able to safely bring you to the Orb homeland. That is when I first met the three of you. I took them to Lord Uzumi and Lady Serenity."

"Everyone agreed that you needed to be kept hidden," said Serenity. "What happened next is simple enough. Makoto was adopted by Naomi and Ichida, while Kira and Cagalli were separated to avoid Blue Cosmos, who were searching for twins. Caridad and Haruma took Kira to the moon, while Cagalli was entrusted to Uzumi. Chris was the most exposed, but our sources told us he was a lower-priority then Makoto and Kira were. David and Claire took Chris and headed to the PLANTs. Via, we discovered, escaped from Mendel as well, and was making her way 'under the radar' for Orb… until she went into labor."

"What?" gasped Kira. Serenity nodded lightly.

"Via, it turns out, became pregnant again shortly after giving birth to Cagalli," said Shizuka. "After she gave birth to Ami Hibiki, she was forced to go on the run. We're not sure when, but Blue Cosmos eventually caught up to her. After that… well, we have no idea what happened to Ami, but like Via, she's presumed dead."

This stunned Kira and Cagalli. A younger sister who'd also become a victim of Blue Cosmos? Cagalli was the first to recover.

"Wait. This is crazy! Newtypes, Ultimate Coordinators, artificial wombs, this 'SEED'! Its nuts!" said Cagalli. "This can't be real!"

"It is," said Samuel, pulling out an old photograph. "The labs at Mendel were started for the betterment of mankind. Instead, that dream became warped by their arrogance and ambition. They say the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. And nowhere was that more true than Mendel. Everything you have heard was true."

He approached Cagalli and handed her the photo. "This was taken on New Year's Eve of 52," he explained.

The photo was of a New Year's Eve party. Cagalli instantly recognized one person in the photo, the woman who was her birth mother. Next to her was a blond haired man with amber eyes, just like her. Liz leaned over to look at the photo. Her eyes widened as her finger pointed at another couple in the photo. "That's mom and dad!"

The couple was smiling with champagne glassed raised in their hands. The man had black hair and gray-green eyes while the women's hair was light brown and she had light green eyes.

Cagalli shook her head. "I… I… this is just so unbelievable."

"I know. I didn't believe it myself when I first heard it. It's true," replied Samuel.

"Then just what am I?" asked Kira, lost and confused.

"Kira. You are you," said Lacus, still holding his hand. "That's all that matters. Whether you're a Coordinator, Natural or something else, doesn't matter. You are a kind person Kira. That's who you are."

Kira stared into Lacus's eyes. "Lacus… I…"

Samuel cleared his throat. "Ah… young love… would you like us to leave the room for a moment?"

Both teens reddened in embarrassment as Samuel chuckled. He then turned to his grandchildren, his expression turning serious. "Chris, Liz, how are you taking this?"

"I-I'll be fine," answered Liz. "It's a lot to take in."

Chris opened his eyes and looked up. "I'll be fine as well. I just needed to know who my parents were. And nothings changed, they are still the people I thought they were despite what they've done. But there is one thing that is bugging me."

"What?"

"What happened to… to Makoto's cousins?"

Samuel frowned. "After the authorities realized it was a fake biohazard, everyone tried to find out what happened to them. But they'd disappeared," he replied. "That was one of your father's biggest regrets. He never forgave himself for not finding them. Any other questions?"

"No. I think you've answered everything," said Kira. "Thank you."

Samuel nodded. "It was my pleasure," he said. "You deserved to learn the truth about this whole mess."

Everyone's attention then turned to the three Taiyonohas, who'd been quiet since Cagalli's outburst.

"Makoto?" asked Serenity. Makoto took a shuddering breath and stood up. She approached her aunt—her mother—and slowly reached out and pulled the older woman into a hug.

"I… I forgive you," said Makoto softly. "But you still haven't told me the whole story."

"Sera turned back up after we discovered Via's apparent death," said Shizuka. "She never did say what, exactly, happened. But she did say that Divinity could never be buried, and that everything that had happened with Divinity had reshaped the face of humanity and our ultimate destiny."

"She also claimed to have departed from genetics," said Samuel. "She did say something about recovering a fraction of the SEED data that caused the blackout, recovering bits and pieces of data from various computers around the world and in the PLANTs. According to her, the data that had caused the overload was less than one-trillionth of the information contained within a single SEED. That truly drove the truth about the SEED home as nothing else ever had. David continued his research into Newtypes, but set aside the notion of them as part of the true evolutionary chain, and merely studied them as a naturally occurring mutations in humans, induced particularly by intense activity in zero gravity."

"In the months leading up to her death," said Serenity as she broke her first hug with Makoto truly as her daughter. "Sera claimed to have discovered a major technological breakthrough, one that would revolutionize the entire world. What it was, she never revealed through. It was her death that prompted us to send you to Naomi and Ichida in the PLANTs." Behind Serenity, Shizuka frowned.

"That Black Box from the Dauntless…" she said. "I think Naomi said that Sera was the one who made it."

"What?" breathed Makoto. Shizuka shrugged, somewhat uncomfortably.

"One other thing," said Makoto after a moment. "On Earth, the Marshall Islands near Malchio's Orphanage… there's a woman named Hotaru Aino there. Her home is filled with pictures from the GARM facilities. I saw that picture of Via, Kira and Cagalli, one of Chris's parents, and a picture of Sera as well."

"Oh?" whispered Serenity. "Guess we'll have to look into that."

"After this is over," said Samuel. "For now, I think we could all use some rest. A lot has happened."

"Yes," said Serenity. "A lot has, indeed, happened."

* * *

**Author's Note: Yes, I mixed some flashbacks in there and edited some dates, pushing back the time of Chris's birth to just a few weeks before Kira's and after Makoto's. I also portrayed Ulen very positively, which is something that pretty much no one ever does. Not only that, but I make the failed Ultimate Coordinator, Canard Pars, the son of Caridad, Kira's aunt/adoptive mother. As if that weren't enough, I give evidence that Kira and Cagalli had a younger sister!**

**Readers of the original _Gundam SEED: A Retelling_ will remember the characters of Yushiro, Ami and Misuumi Kamakura mentioned in David Dante's logs. I went a step further, made them Makoto's relatives, and included a number of the minor scientists in the story.**

**Regarding the lengthy entry on Makoto and the SEED: it was more about what Makoto stood for as far as accomplishments go and their shock regarding the SEED, rather than Makoto personally. In this case, she just happened to be the "carrier", but it could've just as easily have been, say, Lacus or Liz.**

**There's a lot revealed here. However, this has also left me exhausted. Next chapter should be all original, filling in the gap between the events of Mendel and the "final battle" arc.**

**It's also interesting to note that the last four and a quarter chapters (including this one) all took place on the same day. That hasn't happened since the beginning of this story.**

**Anyways, there's also a certain measure of foreshadowing in this chapter. I hope you all can catch it!**

**Also, the latest poll results show the Faith and Dauntless still tied for first, with the Hellfire Blitz taking up third at three-quarters the number of votes. Two more high-voters are the Guardian and Twilight, tied for fourth.**

**Alright, everyone, please review! I've been receiving so few reviews the last few chapters, it's sort of making me depressed...**

**Ja ne!**


	35. Phase 34: A Moment’s Reprieve

**Sorry this has taken so long. First, I had to determine what, exactly, I was going to include in this chapter. Then, there was the actual writing of the chapter. However, it is finally done.**

**One thing I would like to note is that everyone now knows that Victor and John are twins. It's not actually mentioned in the chapter, because I just couldn't figure out a good way to get it in. For that same reason, there is no confrontation between the Children of Divinity and the X11A Regenerate Gundam. In fact, there's only a single minor skirmish in the whole chapter. Regardless, there's some stuff I'm sure everyone has been waiting some time for at the end of the chapter.**

**Makoto is a little more prominent in this one than I'd intended, especially in the latter sections, but I hope it isn't too bad.**

**There's also some foreshadowing here, if you can spot it.**

**Alright, enough with boring you all.**

**Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply. I only have to add that I do not own Canard Pars, Lowe Guele, the Gundam Astray Red Frame, or the Hyperion Gundam.  
**

* * *

Phase Thirty-Four: A Moment's Reprieve

July 14th, C.E. 71

* * *

The _Eternal_

"_Makoto, are you sure about this?_" asked Shizuka as Makoto prepped the Faith for launch.

"Yeah, I'm sure," said Makoto. "I need some time on my own to think things over."

"_But still! The Faith's repairs aren't complete!_" objected Shizuka. "_The Extraxi is still useless, we only just got the wing and leg reattached, the Vesica is still out of commission, thrusters are at only eighty percent normal, and on top of that, you had us attach a Stealth Striker backpack to it! What are you thinking?_"

"Look, I just… I need some time on my own," said Makoto. "The _Eternal_… well, I don't really have the level of privacy I'd like on any of our ships. I had you attach the Stealth Striker so that I could avoid detection. We've already determined that the Faith's reactor will be able to generate enough power to maintain the Colloid indefinitely."

"_Makoto…_"

"Besides, Aunt Serenity agreed with me," said Makoto, settling into the Faith's cockpit. "I need to do this, Aunt Shizuka."

"… _Fine,_" said Shizuka, finally. "_But be careful. The Faith's still in bad condition._"

"I know," said Makoto, putting her helmet on. "I'll be careful."

The Faith stepped out of its cradle and onto the opening catapult deck.

"_Faith, you're clear for launch. Take care of yourself out there._"

Makoto closed the visor of her helmet. "Makoto Arata, Faith, let's go!"

* * *

The _Archangel_

"Is someone going to share why Makoto has suddenly decided to leave?" asked Victor, sipping coffee, as everyone watched the Faith fly off into the distance before fading away under Mirage Colloid.

"_A lot has happened lately,_" said Kira. "_We all need some time to think, but Makoto needs it more than the rest of us._"

Chris nodded. "Yeah, the stuff we learned…" Chris shook his head. "It's all pretty overwhelming."

"So, where to next?" asked Murrue.

"_For now, we'll make our way to the debris belt,_" said Lacus. "_Even if we are tracked there, neither ZAFT nor the Earth Forces will have an easy time attacking us there._"

"_In the meantime, I'll try and get in touch with Ame-no-Mihashira,_" said Serenity. "_I've got some people there who should be able to make contact with Ten-no-Yūgure. Event the Junk Guild can only render so much assistance to us, particularly with some of the more hard-to-come-by parts, like those needed for the Faith and our other nuclear machines._"

"Ten-no-Yūgure?" questioned Samuel. "Isn't that an orbital Morgenroete factory?"

"_It is,_" said Erica. "_Though it was reassigned to the Izanami Project awhile back, it would still serve well for our purposes._"

"Very well," said Murrue. "So, the debris belt?"

"_The Debris Belt,_" acknowledged Andy.

* * *

Lagrange 4

Abandoned Colony Zone

Half a day later

Normally, Mirage Colloid particles would dissipate over time due to the difficulty of holding all of the gas in place, limiting the amount of time it could be used for at once.

The Faith's nuclear reactor, however, provided enough power to hold the relatively small number of gas particles needed to cloak itself in place almost indefinitely. However, doing so required a great deal of power, and it left Makoto unable to employ weapons, armor or her thrusters.

As such, when she was far enough away from the fleet, she deactivated the Mirage Colloid and instead punched the wings up to maximum cruising speed, setting course back to Mendel.

There were still many mysteries, particularly regarding the extent of Makoto's capabilities. Sera, presumably, knew a lot more than she ever told. While all the relevant data had been purged or otherwise destroyed, Makoto hoped to find something. Failing that, Mendel was as good a place as any to spend a few days in isolation, especially since no one would think she would go back there.

Makoto also felt compelled to go. She didn't really know what it was, but something told her that Mendel had been the start of the answers—and it was there that she just might find the last of them.

During the trip itself, she'd tried to learn more about the Dauntless Black Box, but had been met with absolutely no success. It was really starting to bug her.

Reactivating Mirage Colloid, Makoto approached Mendel's harbor… and was surprised to find a vessel bearing the emblem of the Junk Guild in there.

"Damn, just my luck," muttered Makoto. "Oh well. I still have no interest in being around people at the moment."

Leaving the harbor, Makoto decided to enter from the opposite harbor. She brought up a map of Mendel, looking for a good place to use as a temporary residence/hideout during her stay.

* * *

The _Eternal_

Several days later

Rumors always spread quickly through a ship, even a military one. Rumors pertaining to one of the Clyne Fleet's major aces and their acknowledged overall leader spread even more quickly, and throughout the entire fleet too.

Thus, it was no surprise that everyone in the fleet knew and acknowledged the nature of the relationship between Kira Yamato and Lacus Clyne. Despite that, the latest rumor had surprised a fair number of people.

"I'm surprised there are quarters this big on a military vessel," said Kira, putting a picture of all the party-goers at Makoto's last birthday on the wall of the room he now shared with Lacus.

"As a support for our latest prototype mobile suits, the _Eternal_ was appropriate for a flagship," said Lacus. "This room was supposed to be for commander's of entire fleets of warships. I guess they really wanted to make whoever was put in that position comfortable. Are you complaining?"

Kira smiled, shaking his head. "Not at all," he said. "I'm glad. I'd hate for you to be stuck in the sort of quarters I had before."

"If you're there, I wouldn't mind, Kira," said Lacus, smiling at him as he sat down next to her.

"I wouldn't be too happy about it," said Kira softly. Lacus only continued to smile. Slowly, she reached out and pulled Kira into a hug, catching him somewhat off-guard. However, he was quick to wrap his own arms around her, before pulling back slightly and moving his lips to her.

As the young couple kissed, both forgot, if only for a moment, where they were and that even now a war was taking place.

In a moment of peace, all that existed in their universe was them.

* * *

_Archangel_ Mess Hall

"And… checkmate," said Victor, moving his knight into position to take Saul's pinned king.

"Argh!" cried Saul in frustration.

"That makes it seventeen wins for Victor, zero for the rest of us," said Liz with a sigh.

"I told you, I've got good eyes," said Victor, sounding uncharacteristically smug. Only Mu had been able to really hold his own against the sniper thus far, and the frustration had driven several of the others to the simulators to vent their frustrations (Yzak took the lead).

"Good eyes aren't everything," came a voice suddenly, and everyone turned to see Shizuka walking into the mess hall with Erica and Johanna.

"What are you two doing here?" asked Sai, referring to Shizuka and Erica. Each of the three Morgenroete engineers had been working from a different ship—Shizuka from the _Eternal_, Johanna from the _Archangel_, and Erica from the _Kusanagi_. This was the first time the three had been seen together since the departure from Mendel.

"We were looking into applying some final upgrades to the Gundams from Heliopolis," explained Shizuka, nudging Saul gently from his seat and taking it while moving the chess pieces back to starting position. "With the deployment of GuAIZs and those Daggers, most of those Gundams down in the hangar are starting to fall behind."

"So you're gonna see what you can do about improving them with the data Lieutenant Badgiruel sent us?" questioned Chris.

"That's right," said Johanna.

After Lacus and the Taiyonohas had explained the hidden meaning behind Natarle's words—namely, that she wanted to help them—they'd rechecked the transmission signal and discovered small data packets being transmitted subtly over the comm. lines. After reassembling the data, they'd discovered the schematics of the Calamity, Deliverance, Supremacy, Relentless, Forbidden, Twilight, and Raider.

Furthermore, they discovered schematics for the Sword Calamity, Forbidden Blue, Raider Full Spec, Strike Dagger, Duel Dagger, Buster Dagger, and the true mass-produced version of the Strike, the GAT-01A1 Dagger, which had apparently been nicknamed '105 Dagger'.

Unfortunately, the only data regarding the pilots of those Gundams was 'Biological CPU', which none of them had been able to decipher for certain, but which they had very strong suspicions about.

"You might not want to bother with that," said Saul, looking at Shizuka. "He's beaten all of the other pilots seventeen times in a row."

Shizuka only smiled as she turned the board to allow Victor to make the first move.

* * *

Observation Deck

"Dearka?" questioned Miriallia as she stepped into the observation deck. "What are you doing here? I'd have thought you'd be down in the hangar, blowing stuff up in the simulators with Yzak."

Dearka shrugged. "I needed a bit of time to think," he said evenly. "And, much as I enjoy destroying stuff in the simulators, it's not really the place to do that."

"No, it's not," said Mir, landing on the deck next to Dearka. The two were silent for a moment, watching the stars, before Mir spoke up again. "If I might ask, why is it that you've been talking to Tolle so much lately?"

The question caught Dearka somewhat off-guard. "Ah, well…" he said uncertainly. He and Tolle had talked a lot since things settled down somewhat. Tolle continued to encourage Dearka to spend time with Mir, something Dearka had been carefully avoiding. This was the first time the two had spent any time alone together lately.

"Well, Tolle and I get along well," said Dearka. "I've sort of been giving him tips about piloting."

"… I see," said Mir softly. An awkward silence filled the air surrounding the two.

"Tolle… broke up with me," said Mir suddenly. Dearka was silent, not wanting to say something insensitive. To be honest, he'd seen this coming. "He said… he said he didn't want to tie me down to him."

Hearing the pain choking Mir's voice, Dearka decided to be honest with her—at least somewhat.

"He talked to me about something to that effect in Orb," he said after a moment. "He said the person you loved died in that battle at the Marshall Islands… that he's different from before. I… I really couldn't say. I considered all of you friends, but… well, I didn't really know any of you that well before that fight."

"He is different," said Mir, tears now leaking from her eyes. "He acts like he used too, but I can see it. The weariness, the caution, the… I don't know what."

"Tolle's a soldier now," said Dearka, realization hitting him. Mir looked at him. "What happened to him… that's the sort of thing that changes someone. He acts normal on the outside, but on the inside, he's fighting off the desire to be cold. He's trying not to become the sort of person who drives other away to avoid emotional pain over their deaths or his."

"But that's…" choked Mir.

"It's sad," agreed Dearka. "And it can have a lot of different motives behind it. Everyone who fights finds their own ways of doing so, their own way of protecting others. Kira does it by trying to avoid taking life unnecessarily, so that no one else suffers loss at his hands. Makoto and Chris, I don't know about. I can't say how Tolle does it either, but I can say that I believe he's fighting against the urge to make himself a soldier uninfluenced by emotions, with no attachments—a piece of equipment, more than an actual person."

"But if he's fighting that, then why would he…?" demanded Mir tearfully. Dearka was silent for a moment.

"Because he doesn't want you to cling to the past," he said softly. "He doesn't want you to hold onto him for the sake of a person that is no longer entirely there."

Mir finally broke down sobbing, and threw herself against Dearka. Uncertainly, the blond wrapped his arms around her, doing what he could to comfort her.

Listening in from just outside the observation deck in the same place he'd once eavesdropped on Kira and Lacus, Tolle smiled slightly, sadness tingeing his features, but it was still obvious he was pleased to know that Mir was finally beginning to understand… and possibly, to let go.

* * *

Mess Hall

"Check," said Shizuka, taking Victor's remaining knight with her pawn, putting it into position to take the sniper's king. Victor sighed, knowing what would happen next, and moved his king to the only square it would be safe. Shizuka promptly put a rook into position to claim the king. "Checkmate."

"How many games is that now? Three?" asked Victor.

"Four," said Liz, smirking slightly, quite satisfied to see the sniper taken down repeatedly.

"You're pretty good at this," commented Chris.

"I played against Misuumi a lot," said Shizuka, standing up and stretching slightly. "There weren't many people who would play with him. Makoto and I were about the only ones who would. On average, I think we won one in every fifteen games."

Victor whistled slightly. "He was that good?" he asked.

"He got it from his father," said Shizuka. "The man apparently used to be quite the chess player. Even Coordinator-enhancements can only help so much, particularly against those who have a lot of talent for the game."

"That's true," said Victor. "There's also the matter of experience."

"There is that," agreed Erica. "If you don't mind, Mr. Cain, we'd like to discuss with you some ideas for upgrading the _Archangel_'s mobile suits."

"Me?" questioned Victor. "You three are the engineers."

"Engineers, yes," said Johanna. "We've got a pretty good idea of what we want to do, but besides being able to hammer out those rough Striker pack designs, you're a pilot, and understand better what would be useful in the field. Not to mention, you're more likely to have unorthodox ideas."

"Alright, alright," said Victor, looking at the other three pilots in the mess hall. Sai had been called to the bridge after Victor's first loss. "Sorry kids. Duty calls. Why don't you go down to the hangar and practice in the simulators with Yzak?"

"Actually, I think I'll see about heading over to the _Eternal_," said Chris. "I'd like to get in some simulator practice with Athrun and Erik."

"I'll join you," said Liz. "Saul?"

"Nah, I'll stick with Yzak and the rest of our team over here," said Saul. "See you guys later."

"See you."

* * *

Mendel

The next day

"So, this is the place," said Makoto softly, looking up at the remains of the house.

Over the last few days, Makoto had scoured Mendel while carefully avoiding the Junk Guild, searching for any information on the 'Soul of Divinity'. Kira they already had a fairly strong grasp of, and Samuel was in possession of much of David Dante's findings regarding Newtypes. That only left information on Makoto and the SEED missing, since Sera had refrained from sharing much of what she knew.

After finishing the search of the relevant sections of the GARM facility—something that had taken her days, given her discomfort in there—Makoto had taken to searching those places identified as the residences of researchers, starting with Sera, Ulen and David.

When that had led nowhere, Makoto had decided to track down the homes of two groups that weren't actual researchers—the Yamatos and the Aratas. Serenity, she knew, had been staying with Naomi and Ichida during her time on the colony.

She'd checked the Yamatos first—that had been easier for her, emotionally. She hadn't found much of interest, but there _had_ been some pictures from Caridad's time pregnant, and of Caridad and Haruma with a baby boy that she assumed to be Canard.

And now… the Arata Residence. Hesitantly, Makoto stepped through the door into the crumbling house of the people who'd raised her as their own daughter.

Like all of the other houses, this one was in horrible condition. No one had resided here for sixteen years. Mendel had never truly recovered from the events surrounding the end of the Divinity Projects, and so, nothing had ever been done about the houses where the Divinity researchers had lived.

Makoto stepped lightly through the ruins, taking it all in. In her mind, she saw this house, in pristine condition. Her parents living in it with their baby girl. Closing her eyes to clear the image, she felt her SEED activate, catching her off-guard. Shaking it off, she opened her eyes and started to make her way through the house carefully, feeling as though she'd stepped into the past as the debris disappeared from her vision and was replaced with a house that seemed almost brand new.

After making a circuit of the first floor, Makoto's iris-engulfed eyes turned to the stairs, and she slowly began to walk up to the second floor.

The stairs led up to a hallway with an open view of the living room below. To Makoto's right was a single door, the large master bedroom over the garage. She walked that way first.

Within, Makoto found remnants of her parents' life before the Blue Cosmos attack. There were pictures and figurines, and many other knickknacks. Carefully, almost reverently, Makoto collected these into a box she found (it seemed they'd been getting ready to pack up, which wasn't surprising), and placed the box next to the nearly gone wall at the front of the house. Turning, she left the room, and headed to the opposite hall, where three doors awaited.

Directly to her right, she found a bathroom. On the right of the opposite side of the hall proper was a door that led to a small bedroom. Inside, she found a few pictures that she placed gently into the small bag she had with her.

Then, she entered the last door, and stepped into a larger bedroom.

This room seemed to have been stripped bare of everything but the furniture. Makoto sighed slightly as she stepped inside.

Nothing. There was nothing here.

Almost desperately, Makoto checked the drawers… but she found the nightstand drawer locked. Curious, she found that it used a combination lock—a rather odd design, in her opinion.

Makoto thought about what she knew about parents—adoptive or otherwise—and tried a few potential combinations. All failures.

Makoto blinked, and focused on the nightstand. A shadow of a picture frame seemed to be there.

It was Naomi and Ichida. In Naomi's arms was a baby.

Minako.

_May 7__th__, C.E. 54…_

Makoto put in a new combination.

07654.

The lock clicked open.

Makoto opened the drawer… and inside, found a stack of papers. Picking them up, she was surprised by the lack of dust, and read the title on the first page of the stapled papers.

_Cosmic SEED._

This was it. This is what she'd been searching for, though 'Cosmic SEED' confused her. Regardless, it was all that she'd found.

Blinking as her irises and vision faded back to normal, Makoto found herself in a ruined room. She turned around and made her way carefully out of the house, clutching the papers to her chest like a lifeline.

A few minutes later, holding the box from the master bedroom in the Faith's hands, Makoto returned to the complex she'd been staying at, one of the few fairly intact and still-livable areas on the entire colony.

* * *

The _Voltaire_

Aprilius One Docking Station

Zane stared out at his CGUE. He'd been offered a GuAIZ, but now that he had the opportunity for an even more powerful machine, one that would definitely be equal or superior to the Raven, he found himself… reluctant.

At first, he thought it was because of some sort of nostalgia. Perhaps he felt a little attached to the machine he'd been piloting for over a year? But he soon discarded that notion. He'd thought that, maybe, just maybe, it was because he wanted to beat Chris using this machine. To prove himself better than his former friend.

But in the end, that wasn't it either, and he knew it. Zane was angry over Chris fighting for the Earth Forces, even if he'd now turned against them. But he didn't hate Chris.

It had taken a long time for him to realize it, but Zane still thought of Chris as his best friend. However, Zane had become committed to all of this. There was no turning back, no turning away. Not for him. Like Chris, he'd made his choice. Unlike Chris, he'd come to regret that choice—but Zane also knew that he didn't have a second chance.

Pulling out a long-forgotten photo of him and Chris, Zane stared at it for several moments, before tearing it to shreds. He had another copy of it, and so did Chris—assuming it wasn't lost with Heliopolis, anyways.

But Zane's actions were symbolic. He had to do this, or else, he couldn't proceed forward. If he allowed himself to be held back…

Exiting the locker room, Zane decided to talk to the mechanics about what to do with his CGUE. It was time to retire the machine that had served him so well after Rau had procured it for him.

Pausing, a slight, genuine smile came to Zane's lips. There was one person he could entrust it too.

Although he would continue to follow Le Creuset on the path of destruction and give everyone the illusion that he truly believed as Le Creuset did, deep down, Zane hoped that somehow, someway, Chris and his friends could stop it.

* * *

Mendel

Several hours later

"What…?" whispered Makoto as the Faith, hooked up with Mendel's computers, sounded an alarm. Something was approaching the colony.

Uncertainly, Makoto decided to investigate. If she had to leave, well, everything she needed—or wanted—was already packed in the Faith's storage compartments. Not bothering with her pilot suit, Makoto disconnected the Faith from Mendel and brought it up to full power, activating the Mirage Colloid. It was useful, but she wouldn't be able to keep it attached. Even with the cloak inactive, the backpack was too incompatible with the Faith, hampering performance too much.

Taking off, Makoto moved to the secondary harbor, and upon exiting, moved swiftly along the colony's exterior, hacking into all available comm. lines.

She'd discovered at least some of the utility of the Dauntless's Black Box. It allowed her to more easily hack through computer systems and make modifications, sort of like an assistant programmer.

Moving into a comfortable position to observe what was happening, Makoto moved the Faith against the colony, just in case.

From her position, Makoto was able to spot two mobile suits. She recognized one of them—the MBF-P02 Astray Red Frame. But the other one, she didn't recognize. It was a Gundam, and from the current angle, it appeared to be largely a gunmetal gray color. The V crest was red, like the Red Frame's, and with the wing-like objects on its back, the mobile suit reminded her somewhat of the Raven.

"–_are you looking for us?_" came the voice of the Junk Guild pilot of the Red Frame.

"_You… that unit,_" came the voice of the unknown Gundam pilot. "_Is a Gundam, right?_"

Makoto gasped in surprise. Somebody else adopted the Gundam moniker for these machines?

"_Gundam?_" questioned the Red Frame pilot, clearly surprised.

"_Then do you know him?_" continued the unknown pilot. "_The Coordinator that pilots a Gundam… Kira Yamato!_" The unknown Gundam raised its gun towards the Red Frame.

Makoto gasped upon hearing Kira's name. Why did this pilot want to know about Kira?

"_Gundam…? Kira Yamato…?_" said Red Frame's pilot.

A tense moment passed before anything else happened.

"_Hmph,_" came the unknown's voice as he lowered his rifle. "_A Junker like you… there is no way you would know one of the Alliance's Ace Pilots._" Ace Pilots? Is that what they were considered? "_These guys came here for supplies, but I thought for sure that he'd be here with them._" The Gundam turned and began rocketing a way, earning a sigh of relief from the Red Frame pilot. "_Don't even think about interfering, junk techs!_"

Suddenly, the Gundam paused, and it seemed as thought the pilot had suddenly remembered something.

"_Ah yes,_" he said. "_You did see this unit, didn't you? Even if it was only once… that's why this is going to be rather regrettable!_"

Suddenly, the Gundam spun around and aimed its rifle at the Red Frame. Instinctively—though there was really nothing she could do with Faith's current condition—Makoto began to rush forward to try and stop him, Mirage Colloid still active.

However, the Gundam fired first, a series of rapid-fire beam shots lancing out and impacting the Red Frame, which was consumed in an explosion.

"_Hmph, all the shots from my beam submachine gun were a hit!_" came the attacker's voice. A clip, like those on actual assault weapons, detached from the gun, and the attacker put a new clip in place. "_This isn't just any Gundam… my Hyperion unit is truly one of a kind._"

With that, the attacker—Hyperion—rocketed away.

"_Lowe! Lowe!_" came a new voice as the Junk Guild vessel exited Mendel's harbor. "_Can you hear us?! Are you okay?!_"

"_Yeah…_" came Lowe's voice weakly. "_I hear ya…_"

The Red Frame was in visibly bad condition, though it was certainly better than the Faith's condition after Makoto's last battle at Mendel. A large katana—the Gerbera Straight—was held in front of it.

"_Although I blocked it rather quickly with the Gerbera Straight,_" said Lowe, sounding stronger now. "_It would have been too dangerous had the Gerbera Straight not been new. The beam machine gun… what was he really expecting? Besides… why was he looking for Kira Yamato?_"

Makoto wondered about that herself. Deciding that the Junk Guild certainly wouldn't need her assistance, Makoto followed the Hyperion.

* * *

The _Archangel_

Two days later

"She's been gone over a week," commented Victor. "You're not worried about your 'favorite niece'?"

"Makoto can take care of herself," said Shizuka firmly. "Even with the Faith's current condition, I doubt there are many out there besides Kira who could beat her."

"You have a lot of confidence in her, don't you?" said Victor. "I admit, she's good, but the Faith is operating at only three-quarters optimal performance. What if she encounters those Alliance mobile suits again?"

"Do you really think they can catch the Faith?" asked Shizuka. "Besides, that's part of the reason she had us attach a Stealth Striker. The Faith's generator is strong enough to hold the cloak almost indefinitely."

"I suppose," said Victor. "Even still, you and Lady Serenity seem rather unconcerned about it all."

"As funny as it may sound, we have faith in Makoto," said Shizuka. "But I really didn't come here to talk about my niece. Tell me more about yourself Victor. Why did you and Commander Alaric keep your real relation a secret?"

Victor shrugged. "It offered some advantages, I suppose," he said. "Having a convenient body double on hand can be pretty useful. I was also someone he could trust implicitly—which is why, after Zala's assassination attempt, he sent me away to act as an information gatherer."

"I see," said Shizuka.

"So, what about you? What's it like being the youngest of four princesses?" asked Victor in a somewhat joking tone. Shizuka smiled slightly.

"It's interesting," she said. "I was the youngest by a decade. I was only ten when Makoto was born. Naomi was only twenty. Ami… Ami would've been twenty-four. And Serenity was twenty-six. They were all born close together, while I was born considerably later on. They actually spoiled and doted on me a lot. I was the family's little angel. At times, it could get overwhelming, but it was a sign of just how much they cared for me. It was nice, being able to do that to Makoto."

"So, how did you and Makoto's mother get involved with Morgenroete?" asked Victor. "It doesn't seem like you'd be needed there." Shizuka sighed.

"We enjoyed it," she said. "We loved building and developing new things. Misuumi was always fascinated by what we produced. And then, Makoto picked up Misuumi's love for new and innovative technology and things. The two shared a very strong fascination with mobile suits. Did she ever tell you? The Dauntless was based on a custom mobile suit model Makoto made. The appearance of all the other Gundams produced at Heliopolis was in turn based on the Dauntless."

"Really? That's interesting," said Victor. "So, what else can you tell me?"

"No, now it's your turn," said Shizuka, smiling.

* * *

Somewhere between Lagrange Point 3 and 4

"No doubt about it," said Makoto. "They're using Artemis as a base of operations."

She'd suspected as much ever since she'd identified the carrier as the _Ortigia_, a vessel of the Eurasian Federation. Still, it was a bit of a surprise. Artemis was ruins, so if they were using it as a base, they obviously didn't want someone—likely the Atlantic Federation—knowing about it.

Still, she needed to know what they up too, and didn't want to have to deal with any additional forces that might be waiting at Artemis. Making that decision, Makoto broke away from the _Ortigia_, and several minutes later came back, Mirage Colloid inactive, allowing the ship to spot her approach. In response, the carrier launched the Hyperion—just as she'd hoped. The Hyperion aimed its submachine gun at her.

"_A Gundam? Who are you?_" came the voice of the pilot.

"I wanted to ask you the same thing," said Makoto, stopping a short distance from the Hyperion, not bothering to ready any of her own weapons. "Who are you? Why are you after Kira Yamato?"

"_How do you know about that?_" demanded the pilot.

"I've been tailing you for some time now," said Makoto cryptically.

"_Do you know where Kira Yamato is?_"

"Yes," said Makoto. "But I'm not telling you, at least, not without knowing your intentions. So, who are you, and why are you after Kira? If the answer satisfies me, I might help you find him."

"_I'm not telling you,_" said the pilot. "_But you_ will_ give me an answer._" A single shot was fired from the SMG, which Makoto dodged without effort.

"If you're going to act like that, I'll make you a deal," said Makoto. "I'm interested in your Gundam's capabilities. A fight—the winner gets the information they want. The loser has to leave without it. Sound fair?"

The pilot frowned, contemplating the suit before him. It wasn't in top condition, and his Hyperion was virtually invincible. There was no way for him to lose.

"Heh, you're on," he said, firing the SMG.

Makoto opened the Faith's wings and shot out of the line of fire, returning fire with the Exia. Suddenly, a triangular shield of light appeared on the Hyperion's wrist and blocked the shot.

"What the…?" muttered Makoto, continuing to dodge. The fire subsided as the machine gun's clip was replaced, and the Hyperion set this weapon aside, grabbing a large beam dagger from its leg and charging forward.

Makoto dodged several strikes from the dagger before snapping the Exia into position and cutting it off. The Hyperion backed away quickly, firing its beam submachine gun and shoulder-mounted cannons.

Makoto dodged this as well, shifting the Exia back into rifle mode. Spreading the Faith's wings, Makoto activated the thrusters, surging through space, and was suddenly behind the Hyperion, firing the Exia.

_She's fast…_ thought Hyperion's pilot. _But…_

Small diamond objects on wires shot out from Hyperion's backpack, and the mobile suit was suddenly encased in a small-scale version of the Umbrella of Artemis that deflected Makoto's shot. Makoto gasped in surprise.

"_Armure Lumiere,_" came the voice of the Hyperion's pilot. "_Division lightwave shield! It doesn't matter whether it's beam or conventional weapons, it's impossible to break this barrier!_"

Makoto fired several more times, but these shots were also deflected by the Armure Lumiere.

"_It's useless!_" said the pilot, spinning and firing his SMG and cannons at her.

"Damn," muttered Makoto. "He can shoot from the inside."

"_You've lost!_" continued the pilot, not letting up in his assault. "_But I'll admit, you're not bad!_"

_His machine isn't like Faith_, thought Makoto. _He can't possibly maintain that barrier for long. But he'll consider running out of power a draw, I'm sure of it… so I'll just have to find a way to break that barrier!_

The Faith charged in, firing repeatedly while evading the Hyperion's return fire. The barrier deflected all of the shots. Closing to melee range, Makoto grabbed one of her Panthera, setting it to the highest power mode, and slashed.

The beam was deflected, and Makoto was forced back by the return fire. Gritting her teeth as she evaded, Makoto decided on a different approach.

Moving quickly, the Faith charged in, only Makoto didn't fire. Instead, as she reached striking distance, Makoto switched the Exia to sword mode and stabbed forward.

For a moment, the Armure Lumiere held.

But suddenly, the Exia's blade pierced through the barrier, catching everyone off-guard. However, Makoto didn't hesitate, and her sword flashed through two of the emitters.

"_Impossible!_" said the pilot as the barrier fell and the Faith crashed into the Hyperion. Shifting Exia to rifle mode, Makoto pointed it directly at the Hyperion's cockpit.

"I win," she said. "Now tell me, who are you, and why are you after Kira?" As she said this, Makoto backed away, grabbing the SMG.

"_Special Operative Canard Pars,_" answered Hyperion's pilot. Makoto gasped. "_And it's because I'm a failure! I'll always be a failure unless I kill him! Until I become the real thing, I have nothing else to live for, to exist for!_"

"Ultimate Coordinator?" questioned Makoto, stunned.

"_That's right,_" snarled Canard. "_And you've become an obstacle too! I'll come for you one day. I'll kill you._"

"But why?" asked Makoto. "Why? There's so much you have to live for! How can you not see that?! You're mother… she'd be overjoyed to see you. Killing Kira… killing your cousin, your brother would only hurt everyone! There would be no sense too it!"

"_What are you saying?!_" demanded Canard. "_Shut up!_" The Hyperion's beam cannons fired at the Faith. "_I'm going to escape! I'll escape all of this! I'll prove I wasn't a failure!_"

"You're not a failure!" said Makoto. "Who cares if you aren't the Ultimate Coordinator? What does it matter? That's not what defines a person!"

"_I was created for that purpose!_" shouted Canard. "_But I was a failure, and my life became meaningless! If this mother you speak of cared so much, why was I abandoned?!_"

"You weren't!" screamed Makoto. "You were taken away, and they were never able to find you! Why won't you believe me?! What happened to you?"

"_**SHUT UP!**_" screamed Canard, firing repeatedly on the wildly dodging Faith. "_Who the hell are you to judge me, to act like you understand who and what I am?! Tell me, so that when I finish with Kira Yamato, I can come after you and put an end to you and prove my success!_"

"That won't prove anything!" retorted Makoto. "That isn't what Ulen Hibiki wanted for you. That wasn't what anyone wanted for you!"

The Hyperion stopped firing, and Makoto let go of the SMG, backing away to allow Canard to retrieve it. He wasn't listening… what had happened to him? And what twist of fate led to this meeting between them?

"If…" said Makoto. "If you want answers, then when all this is over… when you've found peace… remember the name Taiyonoha. And that Michiru was the one who sent you."

With that, Makoto broke away before Canard could retort and, tears in her eyes over her obvious failure, she activated the Mirage Colloid, fading from sight.

* * *

_Eternal_ Primary Observation Deck

Several days later

Liz was surprised to find Erik on the observation deck as she entered the room. She hadn't seen much of him, outside of the simulators. There was a slight pang of jealousy upon seeing him as well, one that she couldn't quite explain.

Stopping next to him, the brunette turned to stare out at the stars as well, and several minutes of silence passed between them.

"What's it like?" asked Liz, finally breaking the silence.

"Hmm?"

"Fighting beside Makoto," said Liz. "You… you killed her parents right in front of her… she told us about it. How is it that the two of you can fight beside one another so easily?"

Erik chuckled slightly. "Truthfully?" he said. "Well, I can't speak for our favorite redhead, but if I had to guess, it's because she's let go of revenge. She's… absolved me of guilt in the death of her parents. I haven't though, and that's why I can fight beside her, because I owe her everything for what I did to her. Yet, on no less than three or four occasions, she's been in a position to kill me, to avenge her parents… and didn't. Not only did I take her parents from her, but also she taught me a lot. She gave me something to live for."

"Do you… do you love her?" asked Liz softly. Erik was silent, obviously thinking.

"I think I do," he said at last. Liz felt that pang of jealousy again, and now understood just what it was. "I've never really been in love before, so I can't say for certain that it's that. But I care for her at least as much as I cared for my family, such as it is."

"… I see," said Liz quietly, carefully concealing her jealousy.

"But there's someone else she cares for," said Erik. "Someone else she loves. Possibly several people, actually. But I do know that I'm not among them. She's absolved me of guilt, she considers me a friend, but she could never care for me the way I care for her."

"Because of her parents?"

"That… and the knowledge of what is to come," said Erik.

"What's to come?" questioned Liz. Erik shook his head.

"I can't be trusted Liz," he said. "Let's leave it at that."

Suddenly, the PA came online.

"_Mechanics, please report to the hangar,_" came Andy's voice. "_The Faith has returned, and I want those repairs finished ASAP._"

"The Faith?" gasped Liz, turning and rushing from the observation deck. "Makoto!"

* * *

The Hangar

The Faith, Stealth Striker removed at long last, stepped into its cradle and was secured in place before the cockpit opened and the Dauntless Angel stepped out.

"Welcome back," said Liz, smiling warmly as she approached her crush. "Did you enjoy yourself out there?"

"It was… interesting," said Makoto. "Can you gather everyone else up? There's something I need to talk about… something regarding Divinity."

"O-kay?" said Liz. Makoto smiled, and Liz found herself just a little happier.

"Thanks, Elizabeth," she said, placing a hand on Liz's shoulder before pushing away. "I'm gonna go take a shower. I'll be in the briefing room in a bit!"

* * *

A short while later

Makoto stepped through the door of the debriefing room to find those 'in-the-know' on Divinity present. Besides those who'd been shown David Dante's records, Mu and Murrue were also present, the full-depth of the story being explained to them on the _Archangel_. Makoto was pleased to see that Mu had fully recovered from the injuries he sustained at Mendel.

"So, you went back there, huh?" said Serenity, eyeing her daughter disapprovingly. Makoto shrugged slightly.

"I wasn't lying about thinking," she said. "It was the best place for it, and it gave me the opportunity to search for more regarding the Soul of Divinity. What I found was… interesting."

"You found something?" questioned Samuel. "I thought all records were destroyed."

"It was in my parents house," explained Makoto, pulling out the papers and tossing the stack to Serenity, who deftly caught it. "The nightstand of your room, I believe. The 'Cosmic SEED', the true power that Sera believed personified the Soul of Divinity."

"A state of physical and mental enhancements, as well as absolute awareness," said Serenity. "The ability to touch even inactive SEEDs and alter them at close range?"

"Apparently," said Makoto, sitting down in one of the chairs. "If this 'Cosmic SEED' exists, then I certainly haven't used it. What it's saying, basically, is that I'd be able to toy with SEEDs like they were a computer program."

"That seems a little crazy," said Murrue.

"Everything about Divinity is crazy," said Kira. "I can believe that this might be real as well."

"Yeah," said Chris. "That merely brings up the question of why it hasn't come up yet."

"What else did you find?" asked Shizuka.

"Two things," said Makoto. "First, that Black Box is some sort of AI learning system. It's been making split second adjustments to the Faith's OS and control systems as I'm fighting to better suit whatever weapon I'm using, what level of speed I'm applying. It even reacted to being caught in the Twilight's Drache Schild by restoring the OS and activating the thrusters to aid my escape."

"So, Sera really was making technological breakthroughs," said Serenity softly. "What was the other thing?" Makoto sighed, and turned to Kira.

"I'm sorry," she said, catching everyone off-guard. "I found… I found Canard."

"What?!" cried Cagalli, while everyone else was too stunned to react.

"He's a pilot for the Eurasian Federation," explained Makoto. "A new Gundam called the Hyperion, which equips an MS-scale lightwave barrier. He refused to listen to anything I said to him. He sees himself as a failure, with no purpose but to fight… and believes that he can become a success by killing Kira."

"No," breathed Kira. Makoto nodded, closing her eyes sadly.

"He'll be coming after me eventually as well," said Makoto. "I'm hoping we'll be able to talk sense into him, but we have to get him in a situation that we control. We can't leave him in a position where he can kill himself… because if we do, I have little doubt that he'd do it. It's why I didn't try to drag him back with me."

"I… I see," said Kira, thinking about his adoptive brother.

"You found a lot when you were out, huh?" said Liz. "Was that… was that all?"

"Perhaps fortunately, yes, that's all," said Makoto.

* * *

Kira and Lacus's Quarters

Later that night

"Kira? Are you okay?" asked Lacus, placing a comforting hand on Kira's shoulder.

"Yeah," he said. "I'll be alright. It's just…"

"You don't want to fight him," said Lacus, leaning against Kira and hugging him from behind.

"I don't," answered Kira. "But from what Makoto said…"

"If he meets Caridad and hears the records, I'm sure he'll understand," said Lacus. Kira smiled slightly.

"Yeah," he said. "You're right. It's still hard, though. Knowing that I might have to fight him…"

"He's your brother," said Lacus. "In every way. I don't want you to fight him either… I don't want to see you hurt like that."

"I know," said Kira, shrugging out of her embrace and turning to face her. "Lacus…"

"A lot has happened," she said. "And a lot more is still waiting to happen. It's up to us to end all of this."

Kira smiled at her. "I love you," he said.

"I love you too, Kira," she replied softly.

The two kissed, Kira gently pushing Lacus down onto the bed as the too-intelligent robot pets Athrun made them bumped with the light switch, turning the lights to low before leaving the room.

* * *

The _Dominion_

Louisa wrote the names down on the final pictures. She couldn't find anymore for her to draw. After nearly a hundred sketches, she was finished.

This final sketch had been of her, the redhead and a brunette standing on a beach together. As she'd filled in the background, she vaguely recalled that this was a beach in Orb. Louisa was in front of the redhead, who had her arms wrapped around Louisa and was resting her head on Louisa's shoulder, while the brunette rested against the taller redhead. There were peaceful, content and loving looks on their faces.

Unconsciously, Louisa had written down names for them. Afterwards, she'd gone and written the names of herself and the one she'd written for the redhead on every picture, including the kissing sketch, which she'd refined now that she felt she knew which was which. In the sketch, it was the redhead who initiated the kiss.

* * *

The _Eternal_

Makoto's Quarters

"So, did you miss me?" asked Liz as she and Makoto entered the redhead's quarters.

"For the first few days," said Makoto. "After that, I had too much on my mind to miss anyone. Sorry."

"That's okay," said Liz, sitting down on the bed. "The Cosmic SEED, your parents house, the Black Box, Canard… it must be a lot to take in."

"It is," said Makoto, glancing at the box of items she'd stored in the Faith. "Liz, there's something I want to show you."

"What?" asked Liz as Makoto stepped over to a shelf and pulled a photo album from it.

"We lied," she said, sitting down on the bed next to Liz and cracking open the photo album. Inside were pictures of Makoto growing up, along with another girl who appeared frequently.

"Who's she?" asked Liz.

"My best friend growing up," said Makoto. "She and her family were killed in a Blue Cosmos attack in Europe a few years ago."

"I'm sorry," said Liz.

"Don't be," said Makoto, finally coming to the picture she was looking for. The picture showed Makoto and her friend, about twelve or thirteen years old, in a full-blown lip lock that had obviously been initiated by Makoto. "This was the party all those years ago."

"So she wasn't a stranger," whispered Liz. "Did you… did you love her?"

"Yes," said Makoto. "Her name was Louisa Kohls."

* * *

The _Dominion_

Uncertainly, Louisa looked at the final sketch, by far the most beautiful. Her eyes drifted to the names.

_Louisa._

_Makoto._

_Elizabeth._

* * *

The _Eternal_

"Azure eyes… pink hair… a possessive, yet loving person at heart…" whispered Makoto. "She was my first love."

"You still love her, don't you?" asked Liz, a note of despair entering her voice.

"I still do," said Makoto, setting aside the album and pressing the light control on her nightstand to turn down the lights, catching Liz off-guard. "But your first love doesn't have to be your only love… and what's wrong with loving more than one person at a time?"

With that, Makoto's lips crashed against Liz's as she pushed the brunette down on her bed and began to unbutton the surprised girl's uniform.

"I love you as well, Elizabeth Dante, you stupid girl."

* * *

**Author's Note: Well now, that was fun. ^_^ So, now we know the truth of the connection between Makoto and Louisa. Perhaps the SEED Factor _is_ tied into the destiny of the characters in question, if old friends like them would face each other on the battlefield like this. It's especially cruel knowing that Makoto still loves Louisa.**

**On a sidenote, is there something familiar about those final Kira-Lacus and Makoto-Liz scenes? I do believe that gives each of my main characters a pre-sex scene that ends in pretty much the same manner.**

**Also, I hope everyone liked Makoto's brief tussle with Canard. It was completely one-sided of course, even with the Faith's current damage, but I still enjoyed it. Also, that black box turned out to be a pretty useful little thing, huh? Finally, there's that bit with Zane. A lot of people have said he's a rather one-dimensional character. I've been making it increasingly evident--especially with the mid-way point (when Makoto's identity was revealed)--that Zane is not, in fact, a blind murderous supporter of Rau.  
**

**Next chapter will see the Beginning of the End. I hope I'll able to make it an epic ending that everyone will enjoy. My final battle will also depart from Akatsuki Leader13's in a number of ways.**

**As a final note, the latest results on the poll gives us 33 unique voters. The Faith is currently leading, with the Dauntless 2 votes behind, and the Hellfire Blitz 3 votes behind Dauntless. The Talos I, Zane's CGUE, and the MX1 Athena are the only ones to recieve no votes so far. At this point, I figure it's a mute point, but I ask everyone who hasn't voted to go and do so.**

**And now, it's time to get going. Please leave a review! Sayō****nara!  
**


	36. Phase 35: The Nightmare Reborn

**Well, here it is. After a nice break last chapter, we get back into the action with the Battle of Boaz and the opening shots of that final, devastating Second Battle of Jachin Due.**

**I don't have too terribly much to say here. A lot of this chapter is self-explanatory, but there are some things that will probably leave people confused or curious, which will be explained next chapter.**

_"Do you really think that you can beat this mobile suit with that toy?"_ – Zane Scirocco.**  
Retribution Gundam:**  
Description:  
The sixth ZAFT prototype Gundam mobile suit. Designed as a multi-role mobile suit, the Retribution can deliver a great deal of firepower from long range before its enemies can reach it, and then effortlessly switch to its beam bayonets and beam sabers once the enemy closes to short-range. In addition, the Retribution possesses a pair of extra arms concealed in its skirt armor with which to catch the enemy by surprise and increase its close combat capabilities. As the Second Battle of Jachin Due begins, Zane Scirocco launches in the Retribution, intent on using its power to finally destroy the Raven Gundam.

**Model Number:** ZGMF-X14A**  
Overall Height:** 18.03 meters**  
Weight:** 77.3 tons**  
Powerplant:** Ultracompact nuclear fission reactor  
**Special Model Features:** Phase Shift Armor, Neutron Jammer Canceller,  
**Fixed Armament:** 2x "Evasto" High-Energy Long-Range Beam Cannon, mounted on backpack, positioned over shoulders; 2x "Poena" Multi-Phase Energy Cannon with Mounted Beam Bayonet, stored on the underside of each arm, hand-carried in use; 2x MA-M01 "Lacerta" Beam Saber, stored on hips, hand-carried in use, can be combined; 2x Hidden Hands, concealed in skirt armor, each carries an MA-M01 "Lacerta" beam saber; 4x MMI-GAU2 "Picus" 76mm CIWS, fire-linked, two mounted in head, two mounted in torso;  
**Pilot:** Zane Scirocco  
**Appearance:** Basically, the Providence without the DRAGOON backpack and the funnels on the hips. The backpack is replaced with a backpack with energy cannons like the Calamity and a longer skirt, reaching down to the shins.  
**Color:** Black torso and pack with red trim. Dark red arms, legs, and cannons. Head is dark gray with red trim.  
**Notes:** Pretty much the same mobile suit from the original _Gundam SEED: A Retelling_, but I did hammer out a few extra details—like the height and weight—replaced the beam sabers with those of the Freedom and Justice, and changed the name of the weapons to their Latin equivalents.

**Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply, the ZGMF-X14A Retribution Gundam is the property of Akatsuki Leader13.  
**

* * *

Phase Thirty-Five: The Nightmare Reborn

July 16th, C.E. 71

* * *

Ptolemaeus Lunar Base

The door opened and Azrael entered the conference room. There was a table lined with chairs in the center of the room and a large screen on the far wall. He sat down, facing the screen. He pushed the call button on the phone sitting on the table.

"I'm ready," he said.

A moment later, the screen turned on. The leaders of Earth Alliance appeared on the screen.

"Ah, gentlemen," he said. "I trust you've gotten the data I've obtained, as well as my proposal."

"_Yes,_" said Griffin. "_It's quite a coup you've managed Azrael, obtaining the data on the N-Jammer Canceler. However, we're not sure about your idea of an all out nuclear attack._"

"_Indeed,_" said Raynes. "_The energy crisis here on Earth has reached critical levels. We should focus on that first._"

That would not do. They needed to deal with the Coordinators first. They were, after all, the biggest threat to humanity.

"How can you say that? Especially at a time like this!" said Azrael, slamming his hand on the table. "If we don't attack now, we're not going to win this war! Once we've dealt with the Coordinators, we'll be able to devote all of our time and resources to solving the energy crisis. Besides, we've used nuclear warheads in the past. So why hesitate now?"

"_You did that on your own,_" said Keegan, scowling slightly.

Azrael shrugged. "Nuclear weapons aren't something you just collect," he responded simply. "They're powerful weapons. We must use them. After all, we spent good money making them so that we could use them. Let's hurry up and fire them. And then this war will all be over. So what will it be, gentlemen?"

* * *

The _Eternal_

Morning of July 25th, C.E. 71

Lacus stirred, slowly opening her eyes to see Kira's sleeping face right in front of her. She smiled slightly as she sat up and the blanket fell off of her, exposing her skin to the cool air.

She froze.

She was naked… in bed… with Kira… who was also naked…

The teenage diva blushed redder than a certain redhead's hair as she remembered everything that had happened after the lights were turned down the previous night.

* * *

Makoto's Quarters

The redhead in question smiled slightly as she stepped out of the shower, able to understand more about the light of the SEED, now that she knew what it was, and was well aware that Kira and Lacus had been up to the same things as she and Liz the previous night.

She wondered if Kira would be as embarrassed as Lacus seemed to be.

"What are you smiling about?" asked Liz, posing seductively on the bed wrapped in only the thin bed sheet. Makoto shook her head, her smile growing.

"Just something I'll be talking to Kira and Lacus about," she said. Liz frowned slightly, not understanding what her lover was talking about.

"You're mean," said Liz sitting up, getting the bed sheet wrapped around her modestly while Makoto shamelessly released her towel and began to dress.

"I thought this was established months ago," said Makoto. "So, tell me. Do you think we'd have come to this if we hadn't been caught in the war?"

"This?" questioned Liz, motioning to herself, Makoto, and the bed. The redhead nodded. "I'd certainly think so. Not many people swing this way."

"I'm not exactly one of them," said Makoto, catching Liz off-guard. "I'm bisexual. Always have been, and I've never really cared to hide it. But, personally, I don't think the two of us would've come to this. At the time, there was… someone else."

Liz tilted her head curiously. There was no jealousy, for she understood fully that there was nothing to be jealous about. And nothing was stopping Makoto from being with her, obviously.

"Who?" asked Liz. Makoto only gave a small, sad smile until she finished dressing.

"You'd be surprised."

* * *

Lacus and Kira's Quarters

"So, feeling better?" asked Kira, clearly amused. Lacus smiled and nodded.

"I can't believe I was embarrassed by that," she said. "After all of that…"

"Well, it could've been worse," said Kira mildly. "You could've screamed and caused someone to barge into here and catch us like that."

Lacus blushed the color of her hair and smacked Kira on the arm. Kira simply laughed before the two left to get back to their duties.

* * *

The _Dominion_

September 11th, C.E. 71

Natarle and her bridge crew, including Flay who'd been assigned as Grissom's replacement to free him up for other tasks, watched as the spaceport was filled with activity. Crews were rushing supplies, mobile suits and mobile armors onto the various warships. At the far end of the hanger, Natarle could see special cargo containers being loaded onto the _Doolittle_ and three other _Agamemnon_-class ships. As Captain of the _Dominion_, she had been briefed on the full details of Operation Elvis. While the main assault force distracted the Boaz defense forces, the _Dominion_ and the Peacemaker Force would slip through and attack Boaz with nuclear warheads.

"Damn," said Adams. "Nuclear missiles. No offense Miss Allster, but I wish we hadn't picked you up."

"It's okay," said Flay. "I didn't know… why would that man want to give this technology to the Earth Forces…?"

"Atlantic Federation High Command knew about the attack on Alaska," answered Natarle. "I suspect Rau Le Creuset has been passing information to Blue Cosmos… but I can't figure out what he's up too. After Heliopolis and everything else… what could that man be thinking?"

"He's insane," said Flay. "He said so himself… back when ZAFT attacked Panama."

"What are we going to do, ma'am?" asked Pressly. Natarle was quiet for a moment as voice came over the intercom.

"_The Sixth and Seventh Orbital Fleets will leave orbit and commence a direct assault on the defense satellite Boaz at 1200 hours tomorrow._"

"For now, we'll follow orders," she said. "At the moment, anything else would be counter-productive. Officer Grissom?"

"Ma'am?" he said.

"Is everything in place?" she asked.

"Just about," said Grissom. "The big problem will be those six pilots."

"N-Natarle? What are you planning?" asked Flay.

"I'll explain later," she said. "After we've figured out if it could really make a difference."

Soon it would begin. The question now was how would it end.

* * *

ZAFT Space Fortress Boaz

September 23rd, C.E. 71

"Come on! Let's push this Natural scum back to the Moon!" shouted a GINN pilot as he led his comrades towards the approaching Earth Alliance Forces.

Moebius mobile armors and Strike Daggers battled GINNs and GuAIZs. The mobile armors were little more than cannon fodder. But their numbers distracted the ZAFT machines, allowing the Strike Dagger to easily catch many of them off-guard. The older GINNs found themselves being overpowered by the newer Strike Daggers, with only the more experienced pilots able to match the newer Strike Daggers. The GuAIZs, on the other hand, were the superior mobile suits on the field, but their limited numbers weren't enough to turn the tide of the battle in ZAFT's favor, particularly as Launcher and Sword Striker-equipped 105 Daggers joined the fray.

It was a bloody stalemate. A GINN effortlessly gunned down three Moebius mobile armors, only to be picked off by a Strike Dagger. A _Nazca_-class fired its cannon, hitting and sinking a _Nelson_-class ship; only to have a pair of _Agamemnon_-class warships fired their main cannons at the _Nazca_-class, the beams tearing through the ship, gutting it. A GuAIZ fired off its arrestors at a Strike Dagger, tearing the mobile suit apart. But as the cables retracted, another Strike Dagger fired, avenging its fallen comrade, only for a CGUE to shoot that Earth Forces machine from behind before being destroyed by a Gunbarrel Dagger alongside three GINNs.

* * *

Patrick Zala's Office

Aprilius One

Rau Le Creuset, Ezalia Joule and a number of ZAFT officers and officials were watching the Battle of Boaz play out when the doors opened and Patrick Zala and his entourage entered the room. Everyone immediately turned to the Chairman. Ezalia was the first to speak.

"Your Excellency, the–" she started.

"There's no reason to panic," said Patrick, interrupting her. "An attack on Boaz by their lunar fleet isn't an unexpected action."

He turned to several of his aides. "Have we gotten in touch with all branches of the armed forces?"

"Yes sir."

"Media censorship?"

"Done sir."

Patrick nodded and turned to the military officers. "I want a full status report now."

"Yes sir."

* * *

The _Dominion_

As the battle raged, a second, smaller Alliance force approached Boaz, away from the main battle raging on. It was the _Dominion_ and four _Agamemnon_-class warships. The _Dominion_'s catapults opened. The Calamity and Forbidden were launched, followed by the Raider and Deliverance, and ending with the launch of the Twilight and Supremacy. The mobile suits took the lead as the group continued for Boaz.

* * *

Aprilius One

"The Naturals are fools for thinking they can take Boaz," commented Ezalia smugly.

An aide approached Patrick. "Sir, Admiral Kessel has been organizing the force at Jachin Due to reinforce the garrison at Boaz and drive the Earth Forces back."

Zala smirked, not caring who was organizing such a force. "Yes…" he said. "Let's crush that pitiful force at Boaz. Have all nearby forces move to reinforce Boaz. We're going to destroy every last one of them."

Rau found this all so amusing. Azrael and Zala had been so easy to manipulate. It was always those who believed themselves impossible to manipulate that were the easiest to manipulate. They believed themselves to be controlling their side and this war like a chess player. In reality, he was the player and they were nothing more than his lowly pawns.

Perhaps it was time to stoke the fires one last time before Azrael unleashed the Alliance's surprise. "Chairman Zala…" he began.

Zala glanced over his shoulder. "Yes, what is it Le Creuset?"

"I'm sure the Earth Forces are well aware of the strength of Boaz's forces and that defeating them would be no easy task," replied Rau. "But I can't imagine they'd attack it if they didn't have something up their sleeve."

Patrick raised an eyebrow in a questioning manner. "What are you getting at?"

* * *

Boaz Command Center

"Sir," said an operator. "Unknown machines detected at Indigo 13, Mark 66, Bravo. They're mobile suits. Six of them."

Commander Brom, the commander of Boaz turned to the controller. "What? Only six?"

"Sir. Just confirmed. They're the same ones reported by the Le Creuset Team. Behind them are one _Archangel_-class and four _Agamemnon_-class vessels, distance 500."

"Have Rearguard Teams Three through Six move to intercept," ordered Brom. "If they think that will be enough to take Boaz, they're sorely mistaken."

* * *

Boaz Airspace

"Look at all those guys," said Orga as ZAFT forces moved to intercept them.

"You know what I see?" asked Clotho. "Targets!"

Shani snickered as a wild grin spread across Christian's face as the four pilots raced towards their approaching enemies ahead of the two female pilots.

"There's so many. I don't which one should be first," said Orga, taking aim at a number of ZAFT mobile suits. "I know! All of you!!"

Orga fired all of the Calamity's guns at once, destroying five ZAFT mobile suits. A GuAIZ fired its beam rifle at the Forbidden, but the beam harmlessly bounced off the machine's beam deflection shields, surprising the GuAIZ pilot.

"No one takes a shot at me and gets away with it!" shouted Shani, bringing his scythe through the machine's torso.

Christian fired his wrist-mounted beam guns at a GINN, but the pilot managed to evade his shots. "Eat this!" he shouted, switching to his gatling guns.

The pilot tried to evade the beams and bullets, but there was too many shots being fired. The GINN was pierced numerous times by the Deliverance's weapons. The GINN didn't explode; rather it virtually disintegrated under the barrage.

Nearby, a CGUE aimed its beam rifle at the Deliverance's back. But before it could fire, the Raider's hammer slammed into its side, practically splitting the mobile suit in two.

"Hahaha… these guys are pathetic!" said Clotho as he fired on more ZAFT mobile suits.

"_So are you,_" snarled Louisa's voice as the Twilight flew past and cut apart several GINNs, while firing its Skorpion and Vertilgung cannons at even more mobile suits.

Elsewhere, Roslyn cleaved apart mobile suits repeatedly with the Supremacy's Schwert Gewehr. A GuAIZ charged in, firing its beam rifle, but Roslyn deflected with her shield, releasing her sword in order to grab the Supremacy's rifle, firing the weapon at the GuAIZ. She then replaced the rifle on the Supremacy's waist and grabbed the anti-ship sword once more.

A dozen mobile suits closed on the Twilight, but Louisa wouldn't have it.

"Just die so that I can go back!" screamed Louisa in rage, firing her Drache Schild at two and engulfing them in fire while bringing down the rest with her cannons and missiles. The other biological CPUs backed away from the Twilight slightly, all of them extremely weary of Louisa, who wasn't acting childish, like at Orb, or depressed, like at Victoria. No, in their minds, this was far, _far_ worse.

Louisa herself was barely affected by Gamma Glipheptin withdrawal anymore. No, she now suffered from a very different sort of withdrawal. The Faith was her Gamma Glipheptin… and the sketches in her quarters the drug that made withdrawal bearable.

This battle took her away from that… and it only served to enrage her to new heights as an azure jewel seed shattered in her mind and she began tearing through mobile suits even faster than before.

* * *

Aprilius One

The report of the small Alliance strike group had reached the group gathered in Patrick Zala's office, but this alarmed none of them.

"They're only regular mobile suits and a few new models," said Ezalia, brushing off Rau's concerns. "They're kidding themselves if they think that will be enough to take Boaz."

"Let's just hope that's the case," replied Rau.

Patrick wasn't quite as convinced as Ezalia was, especially if it was coming from Rau.

"What are you trying to say, Le Creuset?" he questioned.

"It's difficult for me to say, but as you know, there are a number of wild cards in play," said Rau. "Like the Freedom, the Justice and Lacus Clyne." He noted those two in particular because he knew it would hit Patrick the most, given that the Freedom was the one originally stolen and the Justice was the one his son had taken.

Patrick's face turned into an angry scowl. "Are you trying to say that they may have once again acquired their nuclear capabilities?"

"I know," said Rau softly. "It doesn't seem possible. Yet…"

* * *

The Clyne Faction Fleet

The six warships of the Clyne Faction were hiding in a small debris field, somewhere in between both the PLANTs and the Alliance's lunar headquarters. If anything happened in space, they would be ready to intercept it.

… But not at the moment. At the moment, they were being resupplied by the ReHOME and a small group of other Junk Guild ships, leaving them unable to do anything until they were done.

"Do you think the Earth Alliance will be able to take Boaz?" Murrue asked her fellow ship commanders.

"_Probably,_" replied John. "_They wouldn't have attacked ZAFT's second strongest base unless they thought they could do it._"

"_Then the Alliance will have a clear path to Jachin Due and the PLANTs themselves,_" added Andrew.

"_But the Alliance will not have an easy time of it,_" Kisaka pointed out. "_Boaz's forces will be able to hold them back for quite a while._"

John scratched his chin. "_Yes…_" he said. "_That is something that's bugging me. The Alliance has been building up their forces at the Moon for weeks now. Yet they only sent two fleets to attack Boaz. While it would be enough to conquer the Boaz, the battle will be needlessly long, drawn out and bloody._"

Andy nodded. "_I know,_" he said. "_I can't figure that out either. I would have thought the Alliance would have tried to quickly take Boaz with overwhelming numbers before pushing on through to Jachin Due._"

"_Yeah. It's like they don't care about own their attack,_" agreed John. "_Which can only me they have something else planned. As there been any movement from the Moon?_"

Murrue shook her head. "No," she said. "Nothing has left the Moon since the Alliance battlegroup launched eleven days ago."

"_Then I can't help but wonder what they have up their sleeve for this attack._"

* * *

The _Archangel_'s Hanger

"The Alliance is attacking Boaz. What's the status of the Raven?" Chris asked his aunt. "Have you finished with the upgrades?"

"Of course not," said Johanna. "We haven't even finished with the Surge and Buster, and they're the simplest. Who do you think we are?"

Chris simply shrugged.

"You know, you two match now," she added.

Chris absently traced the horizontal scar just under his left eye. He shrugged again. "I guess so," he said. "It amazes me that this is the first time I was ever really hurt piloting the Raven."

"What can I say? We built these machines to be tough," she replied. "Look at their track record. The Aegis, Blitz, Resolute and Dauntless were destroyed, yet their pilots survived. The Strike was nearly destroyed, yet Kira survived. If you get shot down in one of these machines, it's likely that you'll survive even if the machine doesn't."

Chris chuckled. "It certainly looks that way."

"Especially when the upgrades are complete," said Erica, floating up behind them. "The one upgrade all of them have in common is the cockpit. I applied a similar upgrade to the Blue Frame. When we're finished, they'll all have a reinforced cockpit similar to the Dauntless, though not as thick. Fortunately, since it'll activate PS armor if the outer armor is breached, that's not a problem. It'd take a direct hit to the cockpit to guarantee death."

Chris snorted. "Stick Kira or Makoto in one," he said jokingly. "Even a direct hit to the cockpit won't do it then."

* * *

The _Dominion_

Azrael smirked as they watched the Calamity, the Deliverance, the Supremacy, the Forbidden, the Twilight, and the Raider tear through the ZAFT forces with ease.

"I like what I see," he said smugly. "I've heard only complaints about them since their first battle. But they've really improved since Orb."

At that moment, Rear Admiral Sutherland contacted the ship. "_It's time. We're deploying the Peacemaker Force,_" he said.

The four _Agamemnon_-class warships opened their hangers, launching scores of Moebius mobile armors, each armed with a single, large missile: a nuclear warhead.

The force of mobile armors headed for the Boaz. "Okay boys and girls. Protect the Peacemaker Force," ordered Azrael.

The six biological CPUs immediately turned towards the strike force, cutting through any ZAFT forces that got in their way.

"You heard him. Let's tear through these guys!" said Orga, firing at a GuAIZ and some GINNs.

A GuAIZ, having seen the mobile armors, moved to intercept them, only to be shot in the back by the Raider.

"Oh no. You're not done playing until I say you are," said Clotho.

"Die!" yelled Shani as he fired his plasma cannon.

The curving beam caught several ZAFT mobile suits, destroying them.

Christian laughed as he rained destruction upon the ZAFT forces that tried to stop them. "Hahahahaha! Die Coordinator scum! For the Preservation of our Blue and Pure World!"

The Supremacy's Agni cannon continually lit up space, each shot damaging or destroying several suits. "I won't let you!" said Roslyn.

Louisa, however, did not listen to Azrael's command. Rather than make any attempt to protect the mobile armors, she continued to tear apart ZAFT mobile suit after ZAFT mobile suit—in some cases, literally. However, the ultimate result was the same.

It didn't take long for the six of them to clear out a path for the Peacemaker Force. Soon the mobile armors were in firing range.

"Say your prayers, space monsters!" said one pilot, locking onto Boaz.

"For the Preservation of our Blue and Pure world!" added another, echoing Christian.

The pilots fired off their missiles. The nuclear missile streaked towards Boaz. The only ones in a position to stop them had no inclination to do so, and the missiles hit Boaz. The nuclear explosion quickly spread across Boaz's exterior and interior, consuming everything in a nuclear firestorm. The battle outside Boaz stopped as everyone watched the destruction of Boaz.

"Whoa…" said Orga in awe.

"Awesome!" added Clotho.

"Sure is bright," whispered Shani, staring at the nuclear explosion in a trance.

"I missed that," said Christian nostalgically as he smirked.

"Something feels wrong about this," whispered Roslyn, her radio momentarily disengaged. "Kazuo… why couldn't you be hear to see this?"

"Disgusting," said Louisa, her radio off like Roslyn's. "Just like… him."

Louisa struggled, but couldn't remember who she was talking about.

* * *

Jachin Due Command and Control Room

"What's our status? How teams are ready to deploy for Boaz?" asked Admiral Sarah Kessel.

She wasn't the base commander, she just happened to outrank him, being one of ZAFT's few admirals. Under her authority, teams were being scrambled from Jachin Due to reinforce Boaz. She did not want to take any chances. Boaz was the first line of defense for the PLANTs. Any lunar-based fleet would have to come through Boaz before they could attack the PLANTs. If Boaz fell, all that remained to protect the PLANTs was Jachin Due.

"The Kyusai Team, the Yazan Team, the Gato Team and the Scirocco Team are ready to go. The Ashta Team, the Evin Team and the Cehack Team will be ready in ten minutes Admiral."

"Send the Teams that are ready to go. We cannot lose Boaz."

"Admiral! A massive energy and radiation surge detected at Boaz!"

"What?! Identify!"

"It's… No… "

"What is it?" demanded Sarah.

But the officer was frozen from shock. She moved over to his console and saw with her own eyes what had happened.

"Cancel that last order! All nearby ZAFT forces are to return to homeland at once!" she ordered, struggling to keep her own fear out of her voice. "The Earth Alliance just nuked Boaz and their forces heading for Jachin Due and the PLANTs! All surviving Boaz forces are to make for Jachin Due as quickly as possible! All ZAFT forces are to reinforce Jachin Due immediately!"

Some officers rushed to carry out her orders. But others were too stunned by the news of the nuclear attack on Boaz. Sarah slammed her fist on the console. The sound echoed through the large chamber.

"What are you waiting for?!" she demanded loudly. "We can't afford to wait! Those fleets will becoming here next! And the only thing that stands between them and our homeland is us! We cannot afford to be sitting around! Get to work!"

The remaining officers immediately resumed working rather than risk incurring her wrath.

* * *

The _Dominion_

"Even ZAFT's space fortresses are no match for nuclear warheads," said Azrael with a smirk.

Natarle turned to him. "Director Azrael," she said. "They may be our enemies but don't you feel any remorse for using nuclear weapons against them?" Of course, she already knew the answer—but if there was to be any hope for her own plans to succeed, he had to believe otherwise.

"I never expected to hear that from a professional soldier," he replied, that smirk never leaving his face. "Compared to someone like you, I'm practically a saint. There are plenty of commanders out there who willingly send out their soldiers to die in a battle they knew they couldn't win."

Azrael stood up from his chair. "Now," he said. "Set course to the PLANTs. After we're done there, this war will finally come to an end."

Flay could only watch on in silent horror at what she had inadvertently caused by delivering Rau's disk. Had she truly known what was on that disk, she would have destroyed it rather than had it over. But she didn't. And because of that, all of those people had died. Because of her…

* * *

Aprilius One

Just about everyone was stunned by what they had just seen.

"Those damn Naturals!" shouted a furious Patrick Zala as they watched Boaz become consumed by nuclear fire.

Ezalia took a step towards him. "Your Excellency–"

"Hurry and put up a defense line at Jachin Due!" ordered Patrick, cutting her off. "Le Creuset."

"Yes Chairman Zala?"

"I'm going to Jachin Due. We'll counter with GENESIS."

Rau suppressed his smirk. "Yes sir." Rau paused for a moment. "Sir, may I request that my protégé be assigned the Retribution? I can think of no one more capable to fly that machine than him."

Patrick nodded. "Do it."

An officer approached the pair. "Your Excellency, Admiral Kessel is already mounting a defensive line at Jachin Due."

"Inform her that I am relieving her of command," said Patrick. "I will command our forces personally. This is too important to trust to anyone else."

Rau turned away, unable to hide a sudden grimace as he remembered something. _She'd_ been assigned to Jachin Due. And he had little doubt of her reaction to GENESIS. Furthermore, it was the one thing he feared. Mu La Flaga, Kira Yamato, Makoto Taiyonoha, Christopher Dante… he'd be quite pleased to kill them, but he didn't fear them, even knowing that the latter three could very well kill him, though Chris was questionable in that regard.

But he did fear_ her_. More specifically, the possibility of fighting her terrified him. It was his one true fear.

And if her latest and greatest mobile suit had received the full breadth of its equipment, then the only ones who could possibly take her on single-handed would be Kira or Makoto (given that Chris still piloted the Raven), and even they might need to team up to face her, since neither of them wielded Providence, the only one that could equal her machine's power.

Well, if she were the one to shoot him down… perhaps it would be appropriate.

* * *

The _Eternal_

The door of the _Eternal_'s bridge opened and the ship's four pilots entered as the engines of the six warships started up.

"Lacus. Is it true?" asked Kira. "The lunar fleet is attacking Boaz?"

"No. Things have moved beyond that," replied Lacus, her tone worried and sad. "And in the worst possible direction."

"According to the information received from our sources, Boaz has already been destroyed," explained Andy. "With nuclear weapons."

The four teens were stunned by the announcement. Lord Uzumi's words echoed in their minds.

"_The Earth Forces present actions are being guided by the leader of Blue Cosmos, Muruta Azrael. To make matters worse, the PLANTs are led by someone who believes Coordinators are a new species, for Patrick Zala rules them now. The way things are developing, the world will soon be trapped between two forces that refuse to accept each other's existence."_

His words rang true. Because of men like Muruta Azrael, the Earth Alliance was ready to wipe the PLANTs and the countless millions of innocents living there. And now, no doubt, ZAFT would respond in kind.

"The Earth Alliance fleet is heading to Jachin Due," said Andrew. "But they'll likely stop to resupply and prepare for the attack. And we're heading to Jachin Due as well."

* * *

The _Dominion_

A Few Hours Later

Natarle stared out at the fleet being resupplied. The so-called Peacemaker Force was within striking range of Jachin Due and the PLANTs, but, fortunately, with the rest of the fleet, it would take them some time to get there. Tomorrow, they would launch to attack the Coordinator homeland itself, but they wouldn't arrive until a day and a half later.

Where was the _Archangel_? Where was the group that had, according to rumors and what limited information could be found, taken to calling themselves the Three Ships Alliance? Natarle and the _Dominion_ couldn't stop this—they might delay it, but that wouldn't be enough to make a difference. For the _Dominion_ to truly make a difference in all this, they would need–

At that moment, Flay floated into the observation room.

"You know, I could've assigned you a lesser position," said Natarle. "You didn't have to see that."

"I need to be there," said Flay softly. "I need to see him again…"

"Who?"

"Chris," answered Flay. "I need to see him again. To thank him for everything he's done for me. I was a different person when I first met him. Spoiled. Stuck up. I really only cared about myself. But then I met him, and my eyes started to open. Then my father died and he helped me deal with all of my grief and anger."

Natarle sighed.

"From this point on, it's only going to get worse," she said. "If we're lucky, we won't see anymore of what happened earlier. But we might not be that lucky. Are you prepared for that?"

Flay nodded. "Lieutenant Badgiruel…" said Flay, referring to Natarle as she had on the _Archangel_. "Whatever it is you're planning… can it really make a difference?"

Natarle gave Flay a small smile. "As long as they arrive," she said. "If the _Archangel_ and their allies get there in time, it could possibly make all the difference in the world."

* * *

Jachin Due

Three Days Later

ZAFT had gathered every mobile suit and pilot they could muster. Even trainee pilots that had only a small amount of actual flight experience were given GINNs and added to the defense forces. Numerous _Nazca_-class and _Laurasia_-class vessel formed a defensive line around Jachin Due and the PLANTs.

Near Jachin Due, another massive force had assembled. The Earth Alliance fleet stood ready. With _Agamemnon_-class carriers and _Nelson_-class battleships surrounded by the more numerous _Drake_-class escort ships. A lone _Archangel_-class assault ship, the third in the class, led the fleet: the _Principality_, commanded by Blue Cosmos agent Admiral Michaels, which had arrived with the resupply force.

Separate from the main fleet was a small task force, also led by a lone _Archangel_-class vessel surrounded by four _Agamemnon_-class vessels: the Peacemaker Force.

Suddenly, the engines of the Earth ships powered up. The fleet started its advance toward Jachin Due, launching countless mobile suits and mobile armors. The ZAFT forces instantly scrambled to engage the invaders, their own warships advancing as they launched their mobile suits.

The Second Battle of Jachin Due had begun.

* * *

Jachin Due Mobile Suit Hangar

"_After the Bloody Valentine, we refrained from retaliating against the Naturals with nuclear weapons! Instead, we took the humane path! We removed the ability to use nuclear weapons! We had hoped and prayed that they would never be used again! But once again, the Naturals have shattered our hopes and prayers! We will never let those barbaric Naturals drop a single nuclear weapon on us again!_"

The ZAFT Commander powered up her custom mobile suit as the words of Ezalia Joule were broadcast across the entire defense force. Behind her, her team was doing the same.

"_Can you believe this?_" one of them asked. "_Commander, wasn't it _we_ who brought nuclear capability back into all this?_"

"Yes," she said. "I was the test pilot who confirmed it all worked."

She couldn't believe this. What had they been expecting, really? The Neutron Jammer Canceler was the key to Pandora's Box, no matter who held it. The fools!

But regardless of what Patrick Zala chose now, she would lead her team in defense of the PLANTs. Otherwise, it would be the Bloody Valentine—or worse—all over again, with countless innocents lost.

"_My courageous ZAFT soldiers! Show them our true strength! Show them that we're not to be trifled with! Show them who the new leaders of this world are!_"

"Ridiculous," she whispered.

The hanger doors opened. "Kyusai Team, launching!" said the Commander before she and her team took off into space.

* * *

Elsewhere

The Calamity, the Deliverance, the Supremacy, the Forbidden, the Twilight and the Raider soared towards the ZAFT forces.

"_Wow…_" said Shani, a grin on his face. "_I think there's even more than last time._"

"_Although it's hardly any fun fighting against the weak ones,_" commented Orga.

"_Who cares? If they want us to attack them, I'm not complaining,_" replied Clotho.

"_Yeah,_" added Roslyn. "_I just hope these fools last longer than last time._"

"_Shut up,_" said Christian. "_I want to see this ended at long last._"

Louisa's giggling suddenly filled their comm. line, catching them off-guard.

"_She's coming,_" said the pilot of the Twilight. "_They're all coming… finally!_"

* * *

The _Doolittle_

"Peacemaker Force, commence launch," ordered Rear Admiral Sutherland.

The _Doolittle_ and its three sister ships opened their catapults. Dozens of mobile armors armed with nuclear missiles took off, following the path made by the six biological CPUs.

* * *

The Clyne Faction Fleet

"We mustn't allow a single nuclear missile to hit the PLANTs," said Lacus to the entire fleet as they readied for battle. "If the blade of light stabs through the innocent, then it will only lead to endless tears and more hatred."

The _Eternal_'s mobile suit catapult opened up as the Freedom was loaded onto it.

"_Kira Yamato, Freedom Gundam, let's do it!_" said Kira launching from the _Eternal_.

The second the Freedom cleared the catapult, the Justice was loaded onto it.

"_Athrun Zala. Justice launching!_" said Athrun, rocketing clear of the catapult as the Conviction was loaded behind him.

"_Erik Saharin, Conviction, taking off!_" said Erik, punching the controls. Finally, the Faith, fully repaired and restored, was loaded onto the catapult.

"_Makoto Taiyonoha, Faith Gundam, let's go!_" said Makoto, the Faith shooting from the _Eternal_ at high-speed.

The _Archangel_'s catapults also opened up as the Strike and the Raven were loaded onto them.

"_Most of the upgrades are complete,_" said Johanna. "_However, we haven't completed the new Striker pack, so you'll have to be content with the Aile Striker for now, Commander. And Chris, don't use the new weapon just yet—it still isn't finished and might overload if you try to use it._"

"Understood," said Chris. "Christopher Dante, Raven Gundam, launching!"

"_Mu La Flaga, Strike launching!_" said Mu.

The two machines took off, their Phase Shift armor activating, as the next two machines were loaded onto the catapults.

"_Saul, be careful,_" said Johanna. "_We don't know what sort of changes those thruster upgrades will make, and we're not sure the Surge's G-force dampeners will be able to handle the increase in speed._"

"_Roger that,_" said Saul. "_Saul Kessel, Surge takin' off!_"

"_Dearka Elsman, Buster launching!_"

They cleared the catapults allowing the next two machines to be loaded.

"_Elizabeth Dante, Guardian, let's go!_"

"_Nicol Amalfi, Hellfire Blitz taking off!_"

As the _Archangel_'s strongest machines launched, the next mobile suits were loaded.

"_Yzak Joule, Duel launching!_"

"_Tolle Koenig, Athena, heading out!_"

With that done, the effective leader of the assault ship's mobile suit team and perhaps their most skilled pilot were loaded.

"_Victor Cain, Talos II, launching!_"

"_Shiho Hahnenfuss, CGUE, taking off!_"

The _Kusanagi_'s catapult opened and the M1 Astrays started launching from the ship. Meanwhile, the hanger doors of the _Odin_, the _Valkyire_, and the _Einherjar_, opened.

"John Alaric, Farsight III launching!" said John as he was catapulted from the _Odin_.

The Farsight took off, followed by the rest of the Alaric Team's mobile suits.

"Deploying METEORs," said Andrew as the _Eternal_ released its two weapon platforms.

Kira and Athrun quickly docked with the platforms, adding to their mobile suit's already impressive firepower.

"The choice we're making may be one of evil as well," said Lacus as their forces headed for the battle. "For we call for peace, but with weapons in our hands. Nevertheless, allow us to break this chain of endless conflict. Give us strength to end this war."

* * *

A Secured Hanger

Jachin Due

Zane, clad in his pilot suit with his helmet under his arm, and a technician entered the dimly lit hanger. They stopped in front of a mobile suit, obscured in darkness. Suddenly, the hanger lights came on, revealing the mobile suit.

"So this is the Retribution," said Zane, studying his new machine grimly.

"Yes sir," said the mechanic. "By orders of Chairman Zala, the ZGMF-X14A Retribution been assigned to you."

He nodded and headed for the cockpit. "It's a shame that he's still in that weaker machine," Zane said to himself. "Now he doesn't stand a chance against me." Zane really wanted to beat Chris fair and square… there was _nothing_ fair about fighting Chris with this machine.

Zane entered the cockpit and began to power up the Retribution. Its Phase Shift Armor activated, turning it from dull gray to a sinister black and red.

"It's time for this all to end," he said, taking off.

* * *

Jachin Due/PLANT Airspace

ZAFT mobile suits spotted a cluster of lights moving away from the battle and towards the PLANTs. It didn't take a genius to figure out just what those lights were.

Nearby GINNs and GuAIZs sped off towards the nuclear-equipped mobile armors, all of them praying they stop the nukes in time.

A trio of ZAFT mobile suits was suddenly gunned down from behind.

"Sorry. But these aren't for you guys," taunted Orga, firing at the ZAFT forces.

Two GuAIZs were almost in firing range when a curving tore through one then the other.

"No way," said Shani, slicing through a GINN with his scythe. "I wanna see… all the pretty lights!"

Louisa cared nothing for this, though. She was still waiting, and was conserving power by limiting herself to the Drache Schild, Vertilgung, and the occasional missile cluster.

Something suddenly crashed into the Deliverance's back, knocking Christian off-balance and saving a pair of GINNs making their way for the Peacemaker Force, forcing Roslyn to deal with them. Several of the biological CPUs turned, and were surprised to see a GuAIZ there like none of them had seen before, accompanied by a dozen more GuAIZs featuring a custom gold coloring.

The new ZAFT forces attacked them relentlessly. Shani fired his Hresvelgr, but was shocked to see all of the suits he'd been gunning for effortlessly dodge the beam before returning fire, forcing him to deflect with his Geschmeidig Panzer.

Orga fired relentlessly, but like Shani, he had no luck hitting the elusive GuAIZs, and they were quick to return fire. These pilots were as good as the ones from Orb and Mendel!

Roslyn was quick to become annoyed. The GuAIZs deflected her more accurate rifle shots with their shields and dodged her more clumsy Agni blasts with incredible agility and reflexes. One GuAIZ charged in, swinging its beam claw at the Supremacy. Roslyn dodged as she gripped the Schwert Gewehr, and tried to bring it down on the GuAIZ, only for the machine to tumble aside as the other two GuAIZs fired their rifles at her, halting her attack as she was nearly skewered by the incredibly accurate shots.

Christian was shocked by these machines. His skillful evasion saved him time and again from these machines, but he was so busy dodging that getting an accurate hit was impossible. He fired a barrage of missiles, which were gunned down with Picus CIWS, and he was suddenly forced to dodge return beam fire. He did so, but a GuAIZ flew up in front of him and swung its beam claws, cutting through his right gatling. Enraged, he drew his right beam saber and slashed, but the GuAIZ grabbed the Deliverance's right wrist and used this to avoid being cut in two as well as push off and away from the artillery mobile suit.

Meanwhile, Louisa had finally found an opponent to waste time with, as the leading GuAIZ detached its backpack and moved to stand atop it in the same way the Justice had, combining its beam sabers into a staff like the Twilight's own. The two clashed, and it was quickly evident that neither of them had the advantage.

Clotho was the only one of the biological CPUs to avoid being caught in battle with these impressive pilots, and was forced to defend the Peacemaker Force on his own for a few minutes—a task that proved nearly impossible, as it seemed the entirety of ZAFT was bearing down on them. Fortunately for him, support soon arrived in the form of several squads of 105 Daggers equipping various Striker Packs.

Finally, the Peacemaker Force had reached firing range and fired off their missiles. The ZAFT forces desperately tried to stop them, but the biological CPUs and 105 Daggers kept them at bay.

No one was in range to shoot down any of the missiles in time. It was all over…

But at that moment, a miracle happened.

A trio of large heat sources approached at incredible speeds: the Freedom and Justice, docked with their METEORs, and the Faith and Conviction, the latter ferried by the high-speed thrusters of the former.

"Faith, get me into the ZAFT and Earth Forces comm. lines," ordered Makoto. A message flashed across the display screen before her.

_Yes ma'am._

Makoto released Erik, the two moving into covering positions for the METEOR-equipped Gundams as Kira and Athrun quickly targeted the missiles and fired every weapon their mobile suits and METEORs had.

Numerous beams and missiles struck the nuclear missiles, taking out virtually all of them. Those that weren't hit were caught in the explosions of those that were.

Not a single warhead hit its target as nuclear explosions blossomed and lit up space a safe distance from the hourglass-shaped colonies.

All of the nearby ZAFT and Earth Alliance pilots were stunned. None of them could believe that two mobile suits could destroy all those nukes. But their surprise only increased, as the _Archangel_, the _Eternal_, the _Kusanagi_ and the warships of the Alaric Team entered the battlefield.

"_Soldiers of the Earth Forces! Stop your attack at once!_" Lacus called out. "_Are you really aware of the consequences of what you're about to do?_"

* * *

The _Dominion_

The bridge crew of the _Dominion_ was just as stunned as the pilots were, though all but one were quite pleased as well. Azrael couldn't believe that the entire first wave of nukes had been destroyed before any of them could reach their target. It just didn't seem possible. But he wasn't too upset. They had another wave of missiles that had yet to be fired and even more nukes on the _Doolittle_ and the other ships.

The TSA fleet appeared on the main screen as a girl's voice filled the comm. channels. "_Soldiers of the Earth Forces! Stop your attack at once! Are you really aware of the consequences of what you're about to do? I repeat…_" Flay gasped in surprise. She knew that voice!

"Who is that girl?" asked Azrael.

"Lacus Clyne," replied Natarle evenly.

Azrael shrugged. "Well, anyone trying to get in our way is an enemy," he said. "They've been giving us problems anyway. This is perfect. We can get rid of them here too."

* * *

Jachin Due/PLANT Airspace

The second wave of the Peacemaker Force fired their nukes. But this time, many more pilots were in positions to take them out. John and Victor took aim with their sniper rifles and fired, destroying a pair of nukes that each took out two more. Yzak, Dearka, Saul, Nicol and Shiho fired everything they had at a group of missiles, destroying them. Mu and Tolle fired shots from their beam rifles, taking out several more. Chris fired his railgun, one round striking the nose of a missile while the other hit another missile nearby the first. Both exploded. Liz uncoupled her new twin rifle and began firing, taking out two more. Makoto, armed with the beam rifles of the Freedom and Justice, fired alongside Erik, taking out many more. Very quickly, the entire second wave had been wiped out. The PLANTs had been saved from nuclear annihilation. For now…

"So, you've managed to stop the nukes," said Zane, the Retribution approaching the area.

The four nuclear-powered Gundams of the Three Ships Alliance turned to the approaching mobile suit, which all immediately recognized as kin to their own machines, ready for him to attack them. But Zane didn't make any move to attack.

"Sorry," he said, flying past them. "But none of you are the ones I want."

Kira, Athrun and Erik momentarily stopped as the Retribution passed them, surprised that he hadn't actually tried to attack them. Only Makoto realized what was going on, since she alone was able to tell who the pilot was.

"It's Zane!" she exclaimed, shocking the others. That machine was after Chris!

They would have chased after it, but at that moment, the Earth Forces Gundams broke away fully from the gold GuAIZs and attacked them.

"It's payback time!" shouted Orga, firing on the Freedom and Justice.

Athrun flew up while Kira flew down, dodging his shots. The Supremacy lunged at the Freedom with its sword.

"Die!" shouted Roslyn, swinging her weapon at the White Angel.

Kira sidestepped the attack, activating one of his METEOR's MA-X200 beam swords—extremely large versions of the Faith's own beam sword—and swinging it at the Supremacy. Roslyn dodged, while Christian opened up with his gatling guns, forcing Kira to drive the METEOR to high-speed to avoid damage.

Clotho threw his hammer at the Justice but Athrun evaded the weapon and launched his Fatum-00 pack, sending it flying at the Raider firing its weapons, driving Clotho back. Athrun fired a barrage of missiles, but Clotho gunned them down or dodged them.

The Calamity and the Forbidden, meanwhile, had turned their attention to the Conviction. Erik dodged their attacks and returned fire, his turrets and Inflatus cannons aimed at the Calamity, while the Praemium opened up on the Forbidden.

The modified silver GuAIZ Louisa had been fighting had vanished, but she didn't care, lunging at the Faith and opening up with everything she had. Makoto gunned down missiles and dodged railgun rounds and beam cannon blasts before returning fire with her borrowed Lupus rifles and the Partis railguns.

* * *

Elsewhere

Zane scanned the area, searching for the Raven. "Where are you? Where are you hiding?" he said to himself.

Suddenly, he turned to the left. "There!"

Zane fired the Retribution's cannons.

Chris had only just caught sight of the new mobile suit on his sensors when he saw the beams streaking towards him. He pulled to the left, evading the beams.

"Zane," he said, heading for the machine, instinctively aware of who it was.

"_Chris,_" replied Zane, continuing for the Raven.

"You won't defeat me. Even with that new machine," said Chris.

Zane laughed. "_Do you really think that you can beat this mobile suit with that toy?_" he asked. "_This is the Retribution. I have more power in one cannon than you have in your entire machine! You can't beat me!_"

Zane fired his multi-phase beam cannons at the Raven, but Chris dodged them, drew a beam saber and charged at the Retribution. But before the energy blade could touch the Retribution, two energy blades shot up out of no where, blocking his strike. Chris looked down. A pair of smaller arms, armed with beam sabers, had folded out from the skirt.

"_As you can see, this mobile suit has a few surprises in it,_" said Zane, and Chris could practically hear the smirk that was no doubt plastered on the other pilot's face.

Zane pushed the Raven back, activating the bayonets on his cannons. He swung one then the other at the Raven. Chris sidestepped the first blade and blocked the second with his own saber.

"A superior mobile suit does not ensure victory!" Chris shot back. "You can't beat me!"

Zane laughed again as the Retribution started to overpower the Raven. "_You're a fool,_" he said. "_The Raven is becoming an obsolete machine. It's nothing but an old toy compared to this mobile suit!_"

* * *

Jachin Due

"How very cute," commented Patrick as they watched the actions of Lacus Clyne's forces. "Have our forces leave them alone. Those traitors and pests are nothing compared to Naturals. They can't stop us. Our preparations are already complete."

"GENESIS is entering its final stages," said an officer over the comm. "All vessels, retreat from the zone of emission."

"Get our forces out of the way, Ezalia," ordered Patrick. "Now we'll reveal our true strength."

* * *

Outside Jachin Due

Suddenly, a message intercepted from Jachin Due appeared on the Faith's display, along with a set of coordinates.

_/// Urgent Warning //_

_//// Priority 1 ////_

_Evacuate all units from zone of emission_

_/// Caution ///_

_G.E.N.E.S.I.S.: activated_

"GENESIS?" questioned Makoto.

A massive device suddenly appeared next to a large alignment mirror over Jachin Due. The massive gray satellite-like object suddenly shifted color as its Phase Shift Armor activated and it took its firing position.

While most of the mobile suit pilots were too busy in their battles to notice the appearance of the super weapon, the crews of the surviving warships were a different matter. The bridge crews of the Earth Alliance and Clyne Faction ships all stared at GENESIS, unsure of what it was. But they weren't the only ones. The vast majority of ZAFT forces were just as confused by this weapon. They had no idea what this mammoth device was either as the weapon readied to fire.

Makoto was no fool. That was almost certainly 'GENESIS'

"Everyone, we have to get out of here!" she said, sending them the message and coordinates she'd intercepted and breaking away from the Twilight. "I've got a bad feeling about this!"

* * *

Jachin Due Command and Control Room

"All you Naturals mark this moment well," said Patrick as Rau watched with an insane smirk. "Let this light usher in the creation of the Coordinators world! Fire!"

Nuclear energy burst from the center of GENESIS and collided with the alignment mirror, reflecting rays of energy back to the main body of GENESIS, a massive burst of energy exploding outwards a moment later…

* * *

**Author's Notes: And so…**** the endgame begins. Boaz has fallen, the first nuclear strike of the war's final battle has been thwarted, and the stage is set.**

**First off, regarding what upgrades were applied: I'm not telling. The only one that's explicitly stated is the upgrade to their cockpits, which have been reinforced much like that of the Blue Frame. This upgrade was applied to the Duel, Buster, Surge, Raven, Guardian, Strike, Hellfire Blitz, Talos II and Farsight III. Also, if you pay attention, you can spot another upgrade at this stage. Although Johanna mentions upgrades to the Surge's thrusters with an implied increase in velocity, it's not really detailed here.**

**As for Makoto giving a verbal command to the Faith and having it obeyed****… that will be explained next chapter, but really, the answer is quite obvious.**

**Alright, I'm gonna take a break now, so I can't say when the next chapter will be up. I'm also disappointed with some of the regular reviewers who are missing from the last chapter, but I assume they have good reasons for it, and I hope they will be able to leave a review for this chapter.**

**Also, I've updated my "Neo Cosmic Era" site (link is on my profile), and it now includes profiles for every original MS to appear in this story so far, with the sole exception of the Retribution. Not all of these profiles are complete, as I wanted to wait to fill in the historical notes section. Some of them have pictures as well, for which you can thank Tellemicus Sundance.**

**Alright then, everyone, please leave a review! Know that I always take the time to read them, and respond when I feel it is necessary or deserved (or whatever the situation calls for****…), and that I'm not the only one who reads these reviews. Some people read the reviews on stories they enjoy for the fun of it, or to know what others think****… Okay, so I'm sort of lying here in the hopes that I get more reviews. In any event, I hope that everyone will do so!**

**Ja ne!  
**


	37. Phase 36: Day of Wrath

**You know one thing that I really hate? I hate being given so much credit for this. I mean, I can appreciate it and all, but I didn't do all of this on my own. The chapters of _Gundam SEED Dauntless_, with a few exceptions, were cut and pasted from Akatsuki Leader13's _Gundam SEED: A Retelling_ (with his permission), and then edited, cleaned up, rewritten, or otherwise extended. While I do take credit for the changes from the original version, a lot of credit also goes to Akatsuki Leader13 for writing the original version of this story and for allowing me to use it. I don't like how it almost feels like people are ignoring the origins of this story and who the work originally came from.  
**

**The fact that it seems a number of others have started asking also annoys me. It's probably for the same reason it annoys him: it seems like they're just lazy and want to ripoff his work, or something to that effect. I wrote this story for a variety of reasons, but a major one was that I wanted to clean up the original and add detail. It would've been worthless to simply do that, though, so I also introduced my own components and rehashed the story instead of simply retooling it. While others might similarly add to it, I feel like a lot of people are just trying to ripoff a good story.**

**Well, that's my opinion. I probably shouldn't of posted this, since people will likely comment on that and possibly forget to comment on the chapter, but I had to get it out. I hope people reserve talks/comments about this rant for PMs and uses the reviews for their purpose: reviewing the chapter itself. Anyways, onto the announcements for this chapter.**

**

* * *

**

**And here we are. A massive battle spanning several phases (chapters, episodes, whatever you want to call it) that concludes the appropriately named Bloody Valentine War. This chapter proved rather interesting for me, despite not being as long as the last, and allows for some final character moments before the endgame proper opens. Sadly, as we all know, not everyone will be coming back from this final battle.**

**I also include some extra surprises of my own, so I hope you all enjoy that. And, fair warning: there is a lengthy "launch sequence" in which every named character not flying from the _Eternal_ launches, with no "description" of what's going on in between. Think of it as a sort of character checklist, mentioning the named pilot of the Three Ships Alliance, whether they're mine or not.  
**

**Also, the poll won't be up for much longer, so if you haven't voted for your favorite OMS of this story, go and do so now, and remember that you can have up to three votes.**

**Finally, I again ask everyone to check out the site for this. Once I'm finished here, I plan to go in and finish up the data entry for the _Gundam SEED Dauntless_ section of the site. You can find the link on my profile.**

**Alright, I won't bore you here. I'll talk more at the bottom, assuming I still remember everything by the time I get down there.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED or any of the associated characters, mecha, or superweapons (nukes do not count, and I will not say if I actually have any nukes hidden in my basement or under my bed). I do not own Christopher Dante, Elizabeth Dante, Johanna Dante, Samuel Dante, Saul Kessel, Zane Scirocco, John Alaric or any members of the Alaric Team, who are the property of Akatsuki Leader13. I do not own the GAT-X302 Raven Gundam, GAT-X204 Surge Gundam, MBF-MX1 Athena or ZGMF-X14A Retribution Gundam. I might be able to claim partial ownership of Victor Cain and the MBF-XX105 Strike II. I do own Makoto Arata, Serenity Taiyonoha, Shizuka Taiyonoha and Erik Saharin. I also own the ZGMF-X16A Faith Gundam, ZGMF-X15A Conviction Gundam, GAT-X308 Guardian Gundam, and the MBF-03 Hellfire Blitz. I think that covers everything****…**

* * *

Phase Thirty-Six: Day of Wrath

September 26th, C.E. 71

* * *

Jachin Due

Nuclear energy burst from the center of GENESIS and collided with the alignment mirror, reflecting rays of energy back to the main body of GENESIS, a massive burst of energy exploding outwards a moment later…

And hell was unleashed upon the Earth Forces fleet.

The massive energy blast tore through the fleet. Nothing could stop it. Nothing could withstand it. The hulls of even the mightiest ships in the Alliance fleet were nothing compared to the firepower of GENESIS. Dozens of _Agamemnon_, _Nelson_, and _Drake_-class ships were destroyed in an instant, alongside countless Alliance mobile armors and mobile suits. The armor of their hulls and machines might as well be made of paper against the powerful blast of GENESIS. In a matter of seconds, half of the Alliance fleet was gone.

Just about everyone watching was stunned and horrified. The surviving Earth Alliance Forces, the Three Ships Alliance fleet and even the ZAFT forces could only stare at the devastation brought upon the Alliance forces.

* * *

Jachin Due Command and Control Room

"GENESIS fired at 60 percent maximum output," reported a technician.

"Estimated fifty percent of enemy forces destroyed," another added. "The enemy forces are retreating."

"Commence cool-down. Remove reflector mirror one and move mirror two into position."

Up on the command platform, Patrick Zala and Rau Le Creuset grinned at what they had wrought.

"Your Excellency, I am astonished to see how incredible GENESIS truly is," commented Rau.

"There is no point in fighting a war unless you have the means to end it with victory," replied Patrick.

* * *

The _Dominion_

"_Our CSS is destroyed. Requesting permission to return to the ship at once._"

"_God… How could they do that…_"

"_Captain! Come in Captain! Do you read me?!_"

"_Where's the_ Alexander_? Has anyone seen the _Alexander_?!_"

Everyone was stunned and horrified at just what had happened. The entire fleet was in disarray. Even Natarle was speechless. But she knew that if their surviving forces were to recover, someone needed to take the lead.

"Get a hold of yourselves and find out what ships we have left!" said Natarle over the comm., trying to reestablish order amongst the forces of the Alliance. "What's the status of the _Principality_?"

"They've escaped destruction," reported Pressly. "They're firing signal flares."

"Admiral Michaels is also verbally ordering a full-scale retreat," added Flay.

Natarle paused, deciding on her next move while Azrael was still paralyzed with shock.

As things stood, the _Dominion_ was the fleet's sub-flag. They were too slow, and regardless of Natarle's other plans, that weapon was too great a threat—she'd have to wait until it was destroyed to make the move she'd been planning to make after the nukes were stopped.

"Fire signal flares," she ordered, adding the _Dominion_'s command to the _Principality_'s own—which was needed, in this chaos. "All remaining ships are to withdraw immediately."

* * *

The _Archangel_

Though all the forces of the Clyne Faction had been out of the field of fire thanks to the Faith hacking into the ZAFT comm. lines, sparing them from the wrath of the massive blast, they were just as stunned and horrified as the Earth Forces.

"The Earth Forces are withdrawing from the area," reported Sai.

"_Captain Ramius, we should also retreat for now,_" added Andrew Waltfeld.

Murrue nodded. "_Yes… recall all mobile suits._"

* * *

Jachin Due

Patrick Zala stood up from his chair.

"Courageous soldiers of ZAFT!" he shouted. "We can no longer tolerate the aggression of the arrogant Naturals! Once again, the PLANTs have come under nuclear attack! This is no longer a war! It is a campaign of extermination! We can no longer forgive the Naturals who commit these atrocities without remorse!"

"Our new future! For the light of creation is with us! This is a day of history, marking the advent of a bright new world of Coordinators! The new Mankind!"

The control room filled with cheers and chants of 'Victory'.

* * *

Jachin Due/PLANT Airspace

The surviving Alliance forces were in full retreat. However, a number of ZAFT forces were less than willing to let them leave. GINNs and GuAIZs chased after retreating Strike Daggers and 105 Daggers as ZAFT warships fired on the fleeing Earth warships.

"Stop it!" shouted Kira, undocking from the METEOR and firing on a pair of GINNs with his Balaena. "Stop firing on those that aren't fighting back!"

Kira wasn't the only one, as Erik, Makoto and Athrun also opened up on the ZAFT forces, stripping their machines of limbs, heads and weapons.

Kira, Makoto and Erik pulled back, regrouping with Athrun, the four heading back to their fleet.

"_This is madness,_" said Chris as the Raven pulled alongside the four. "_As if nukes weren't bad enough, ZAFT creates a… I don't know… a massive death ray!_" He let out a sigh before continuing. "_The nukes were one thing. We could intercept those. But that thing… How do we stop that thing?_"

"I don't know," answered Kira. "I honestly don't know."

Athrun could only shake his head and wonder why his father would build such a weapon, much less use it.

* * *

The _Dominion_

Several Hours Later

Natarle sighed as she studied the casualty list. That new weapon of ZAFT had been devastating. Approximately half the fleet had been wiped out by that one attack. In addition, were the losses they had incurred in the battle prior to the attack and during their retreat. The fleet was a mess. At the moment, they were all struggling just to deal with the damage they had sustained.

"That's right! I'm dead serious! This is a result of the negligence shown by you guys at the top by letting this war drag on!" ranted Azrael on the comm. to Fleet Command.

Suddenly, his rant was interrupted.

"Captain! The _Churchill_ is emitting a distress signal!" said Flay.

The Fleet had suffered enough losses already. They had to help them out before they lost more good men and women.

"Tell them that we'll move to assist them immediately," ordered Natarle.

"Don't be an idiot!" shouted Azrael. "They want backup?! Why should this ship have to help them?!"

"Director Azrael. We have to–"

"All surviving ships are to prepare to resume the attack immediately!" he said, countermanding her order. "We need to concentrate on resupplying and maintenance!"

But that's insane!" she argued. "You know very well the damage our forces have sustained!"

"Reinforcements and supplies will be arriving from Lunar HQ in no time!" he countered as he moved back to his seat. "You're the one who doesn't understand the situation! Take a look! We cannot afford to leave that thing out there! What do they mean 'the Naturals barbaric nuclear weapons'?! They can destroy the Earth from there. That device of theirs is by far the more barbaric weapon. And we have no idea when they'll point that thing at Earth. If we sit back and wait, they'll fire that thing again and it will be all over."

At that moment, there was a flash of light from a nearby explosion. Natarle didn't need confirmation to know what happened. The _Churchill_ had exploded. Natarle scowled but didn't say anything. As much as she hated this man, he was right about one thing: they needed to destroy that new ZAFT weapon. It was the only reason she hadn't already given Grissom orders to act.

"It's all because you military types gave them all the time in the world to build that monstrosity!" said Azrael. "Maybe it's crazy, but we have to destroy that thing, _and_ the PLANTs. _Before_ they destroy Earth!"

* * *

The _Eternal_

"_They fired a gamma ray beam,_" explained Erica. "_The rays were generated by a nuclear explosion at the source and immediately focused into a coherent beam. Think of it as a giant gamma ray laser. If it were fired at Earth, the extreme radiation would burn the entire planet to a crisp. All life on Earth would be wiped out._"

Lacus, Kira, Makoto, Athrun, Chris, Liz, Erik, Cagalli, Murrue, John and Andy all quietly listened to her report on this new super weapon of ZAFT.

"Do you think they'll do it?" asked Murrue, worried about this latest development. "Fire on Earth?"

"Essentially, the role of any long distance weapon of mass destruction is to serve as a deterrent," answered Andy. "But that doesn't matter any more because they've both been used. Nukes… and _that_ thing. It seems evident that neither side will hesitate to use them again." He paused for a moment. "The first time that I actually had to shoot someone, it turned my stomach. They told me that I'd get used to it in time… and after awhile, that's what happened."

"Are you saying it's the same way with nukes and that weapon?" asked Murrue.

"Isn't it the same thing?" asked Andy. "People can get used to anything. Even fighting… and killing each other."

"Is it weapons that give birth to battles?" asked Lacus. "Or does the real cause lie within the human heart?"

Kira, Chris and Makoto exchanged glances, thoughts straying to Rau Le Creuset's words. All three of them knew the answer. It was perhaps the one thing Le Creuset had been right about.

But that didn't matter.

"Whether it's nuclear weapons or that weapon, we can't let them fire those things at each other again," Kira said firmly. "If that happens, it will be too late for anything."

Athrun nodded his head. "Yeah."

"Well… I can't think of a more impossible task we've set for ourselves," said Chris, rubbing the back of his neck. "But we seem to have a habit of making the impossible possible. So how are we going to do this?"

"With everything we have," answered Makoto. "With all the power at our disposal." Makoto looked at the display screen the display screen. "Johanna, get to work on the Striker pack," she ordered, before turning to her aunt. "Shizuka, we need to finish the Raven's last upgrade."

"I'm on it," said Shizuka, standing up and heading for the door.

"Alright then," said Erik. "Our current forces stand at just over forty mobile suits and six warships, against all of ZAFT and the Alliance. Heh, this will be fun."

"The one major thing in our favor is that GENESIS can't fire consecutive shots," said Andy, studying the layout of the ZAFT forces around Jachin Due. "My guess is that they need to change the mirror every time it's fired. But the main section is by Phase Shift Armor and we have to get through Jachin Due to get to it. Their defenses are quite formidable."

"Don't worry about that," said John. "My team will clear the path for the _Archangel_, the _Eternal_ and the _Kusanagi_. But I recommend that we wait until after the Earth Forces start their attack. That way, they'll draw much of Jachin Due's forces away and make things easier for us."

"You realize that you and your guys will be facing down a lot of mobile suits and warships," said Andy. "You know what that means."

"Don't worry about us, Andy," said John. "We'll take anything they can throw at us." "Regardless of what happens to us, you guys will be in position to attack that monstrosity."

"What about the nukes?" asked Chris. "This will all be for nothing if we take out ZAFT's weapon only to have the PLANTs destroyed by nukes."

"The Freedom, Justice and a few suits from the _Archangel_'s team can form a hunter-kill team to intercept the nukes and take out their carriers," answered John. "Once the nukes are dealt with, they can join up with the rest of us."

"How much time until they replace the mirror?" asked Murrue.

Andy scratched his chin. "I doubt it will be much longer," he said. "The real question is, will they target the Alliance's main lunar base, or will they target…"

"The Earth Forces will attack nuclear weapons again, won't they?" said Kira.

"Without a doubt," replied John, staring at the map. "No doubt, they're terrified of that weapon. I know I am. They have no choice but to use nukes now to destroy that thing."

"Sirs!" shouted Martin, interrupting the meeting. "The Alliance fleet is on the move! They're resuming their attack!"

"Speak of the devil," said John, already heading for the elevator. "Everybody better get ready. Things are about to get chaotic again."

Andy moved towards his command chair as Makoto, Athrun, Chris, Liz, Erik, Cagalli, and Murrue headed for the elevator. Kira followed, but stopped when Lacus called out to him as she headed for him.

"Kira," she said, moving towards him.

"Lacus," said Kira, catching the floating girl.

He glanced at everyone in the elevator, they all just smiled and Makoto pushed a button, closing the elevator doors. A moment later, the empty elevator came back and the two teens entered it. As the elevator traveled, Lacus pulled something out of her pocket: a silver ring.

"Kira… I want you to have this," she said.

"Thanks," he said, accepting her gift.

Lacus stared into his eyes.

"Please come back to me, okay?" she said softly. "Come back to me.

Kira smiled and nodded, reaching forward and pulling her into a gentle embrace.

"I will, Lacus," he said. "I promise…"

"Kira… where you go, I will go," she said.

"And where I go, I will take you with me," he replied, pulling her into a kiss.

"I love you, Lacus."

* * *

The _Eternal_ Corridors

Cagalli stared at Athrun as the two headed on their own to the hanger. Athrun glanced at her.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Nothing," she replied, turning away. "It's just that this time, I can go out too."

"Huh?"

"They were finally able to assemble the Strike Rouge that they brought from Morgenroete," she explained. "Good luck out there."

Athrun stopped and grabbed her hand. "Wait Cagalli. You're going out?"

"What's the matter?" asked Cagalli, annoyed at his tone. "I've received sufficient pilot training for this. And I'm a lot better than the Astray pilots!"

"Yeah… But…" started Athrun.

"The things we can do, the things we want to do and the things we should do, are the same for all of us, right?" she asked. "For you, for Kira, for Lacus and for me."

"Cagalli…" said Athrun.

"Sure, there are times when it's useless to go out to the battlefield and fight," said Cagalli. "But right now, it's necessary."

Athrun could only stare at her in surprise.

"Don't look at me like that," she said. "You take a lot more risks out there than I do. I won't let you die out there."

"Cagalli…"

"I won't let that guy who could be my little brother die either," she muttered.

Athrun raised an eyebrow. "Little brother? Not your big brother?"

"Of course not! He's the younger one!" Cagalli practically shouted at him.

Athrun smiled. "You're right," he said before embracing her in a hug.

Cagalli could only blush as the two stood there for moment. "I'm lucky to have met you," added Athrun before breaking the hug. "I'll protect you."

The two then kissed.

* * *

Pilot's Locker Room

"You're wearing a pilot suit this time?" questioned Liz, seeing Makoto finish pulling on her silver and black flight suit.

"Yeah," said Makoto. "This is the endgame, Elizabeth. It's going to be chaotic, and frankly, we'll be lucky if even one of us comes back alive. The slight hampering of abilities will be well worth the protection in this situation. Besides… Faith can compensate."

"So, the work on the cockpit was perfect, was it?" asked Liz. "The Faith is alive, now?"

"Of course not," said Makoto. "All we did was modify the cockpit to take advantage of the black box's abilities and AI. It's been growing, as well. In essence, I guess you could say that it's become the soul of the Dauntless—and now inhabits the Faith. Mostly, I chose this name because its better, and more appropriate, when you think about it."

Liz shook her head. "Only you could net yourself a sophisticated AI partner that practically brings your machine to life," she said. Makoto giggled slightly.

"I think Lowe Guele of the Junk Guild has one for his Red Frame," she replied. "Faith allowed a bit of her programming to be used to develop a learning AI for the Strike Rouge as well."

"_Her_?" questioned Liz, shaking her head. "You're nuts, Makoto."

"Nuts? Hardly," scoffed the redhead. "In any case… this will be the end. After this… let's go home, okay? Back to Orb."

Liz smiled. "I'd like that," she said. Makoto picked up her helmet and, with Liz at her side, exited the locker room.

* * *

Jachin Due Airspace

Several Hours Later

The battle was pure chaos. GINNs and Strike Daggers fought on nearly equal grounds while mobile suits outmatched Moebiuses, GuAIZs outmatched Strike Daggers, and GuAIZs fought equally with 105 Daggers.

The Forbidden's scythe swung, slicing a GuAIZ in half before a trio of GINNs attacked it with heavy artillery. Nearby, the Calamity fired all of its weapons on a squadron of mobile suits before being driven back by even more machines. The Deliverance fired its Fenrir gatlings, tearing apart many mobile suits, but many more swarmed the artillery machine.

The Raider threw its hammer, crushing a GINN, then began swinging the hammer to deflect a series of beam rifle shots, only to be attacked from the opposite direction, forcing it to transform to MA form and flee. The Supremacy's Schwert Gewehr tore through the main cannons of a destroyer, but the all-purpose mobile suit quickly came under heavy fire from GINNs, CGUEs and warships. The Twilight fought a ferocious, reckless dance through mobile suit after mobile suit after warship, but only the Mirage Colloid particles released by its wings saved it from retaliatory fire.

Individually, the Earth Forces mobile suits could equal or overpower almost anything ZAFT had, and the Gundams could do worse than that.

But there were just so damn _many_ of them! With so many forces lost to the first firing of GENESIS, the numbers of the two sides stood about equal, giving ZAFT the advantage with the superior abilities and reflexes of its Coordinator pilots.

* * *

Three Ships Alliance Fleet

"_Faith, Freedom, Justice, Conviction, prepare for takeoff,_" came Shizuka's voice over the PA of the _Eternal_.

"_Power extension flow of the Strike Rouge is stable,_" came the voice of the _Kusanagi_'s mobile suit controller. "_This is a rookie pilot, so please ensure that the backup AI is online._"

"So they want us to stop both GENESIS and the nukes while fighting at the same time?!" Dearka asked Mir incredulously.

"_Then why don't you give up?_" said Mir rather coldly before shutting down the line, catching Dearka off-guard.

"Uh, hey, I didn't mean…" said Dearka as the others, including Tolle, exchanged bemused glances.

"_Just kidding,_" said Mir, reappearing. "_I'm sorry… be careful out there._"

"… Thank you," said Dearka, surprising Mir.

The others, listening in, all smiled slightly, though Mu did spare Tolle a somewhat concerned glance as the connection with the bridge was closed.

"_Dearka… you're an idiot,_" said Yzak.

"_Not anymore than you, Yzak,_" said Saul, not bothering to conceal the humor in his voice.

"_What is that supposed to mean?!_"

Yzak was the only one of the pilots who didn't notice Shiho's well-concealed blush as she quickly put her helmet on.

A moment later, as they awaited the order to launch, there was a knock on the Strike's hatch. Mu turned on a camera to see Murrue floating just outside. Mu opened the hatch and stepped out, pulling off his helmet as he left the Strike.

"I thought I wouldn't make it in time," said Murrue.

Mu chuckled. "Wouldn't make it to what?" he asked.

Murrue only smiled, and Mu noticed the necklace floating around her neck with a rose on it. He reached out and gently caught it.

"So, he was a mobile armor pilot?" asked Mu, referring to a previous conversation in Orb.

"That's right," said Murrue, her tone soft and quiet.

"Don't worry," said Mu, catching her somewhat off-guard. "I'll be coming right back. With victory in hand." With that, Mu pulled her into a kiss.

* * *

Jachin Due X14A Hanger

"So it begins," said Zane, powering up the Retribution. "The endgame is here. Will this wretched, accursed world end as well? Or will you and your friends stop it, Chris?"

The Retribution's Phase Shift Armor activated as the hangar doors began opening.

"Either way," said Zane. "You and I have one last battle to fight. And this time, only one of us will walk away from it. I hope it's you."

The hanger finished doors opening and Zane was given clearance.

"Zane Scirocco, Retribution, launching!"

* * *

Jachin Due Control Room

"Second mirror block is almost in place," reported an operator.

"Input the target data. Lunar surface, the Earth Forces Ptolemaeus Crater Base," ordered Patrick.

Officers rushed to input the targeting data. "What is the location of the Earth Forces reinforcements?" he asked.

"At Green Alpha 5, Mark 3."

Patrick smirked. _Perfect. We win, Naturals._

"Sir! Earth Forces are breaking through Area Seven!"

"We're almost ready. Tell our forces to hold on for a bit longer," said Patrick.

"Then shall I go as well?" asked Rau.

"Yes," said Patrick.

Rau nodded and started to walk away when Patrick stopped him. "Le Creuset," he said. "I won't forgive any more of your blunders. The least you could do for failing to destroy the _Eternal_ is stop them from attacking the PLANTs with it."

"Even if that means killing Athrun?" asked Rau, not actually caring for his answer.

Patrick scowled, barely containing his rage. "Of course!"

Rau saluted. "Understood sir," he said before continuing to hanger.

* * *

Three Ships Alliance Fleet

"Vessel detected at Orange 25, Mark 12 Alpha," said Mir. "It's the _Dominion_!"

"Please have the mobile suits take off immediately," said Lacus.

"All vessels, deploy your mobile suits now!" ordered Waltfeld.

"_Mu La Flaga, Lightning Gunbarrel Strike, taking off!_"

"_Dearka Elsman, Buster, taking off!_"

"_Cagalli Yula Athha, Strike Rouge, let's go!_"

"_John Alaric, Farsight III, launching!_"

"_Jean Carry, Astray, launching!_"

"_Shiho Hahnenfuss, CGUE, launching!_"

"_Yzak Joule, Duel, launching!_"

"_Diana Kessel, Panther III, launching!_"

"_Lisa DaCosta, Lady Luck II, launching!_"

"_Asagi Caldwell, Astray, taking off!_"

"_Christopher Dante, Raven, launching!_"

"_Elizabeth Dante, Guardian, here I go!_"

"_Lucius Raveshaw, Tyr II, taking off!_"

"_Juri Wu Nien, Astray, let's go!_"

"_Saul Kessel, Surge, takin' off!_"

"_Victor Cain, Talos II, launching!_"

"_Ajay Cortez, Hyena II, let's do it!_"

"_Basque Gideon, Bruticus II, launching!_"

"_Hilda Harken, Mars Simeon, Herbert Von Reinhardt, Speatip team, launching!_"

"_Mayura Labatt, Astray, here I go!_"

"_Nicol Amalfi, Hellfire Blitz, launching!_"

"_Tolle Koenig, Athena, taking off!_"

For this final battle, the Faith would be the first of the _Eternal_'s machines to launch. As the mobile suits of the fleet rapidly deployed, Makoto quickly reflected on everything that had happened… and her grip on the controls of her mobile suit tightened.

"Mom…" she whispered. "Dauntless… Faith… give me strength!"

Eyes shining with a determined fire greater than any Makoto had ever held before, the redhead shut the visor of her helm as she was given approval to launch.

"Makoto Arata!" she said, her words broadcast to the entire fleet, catching many off-guard by her return to her old last name. "Dauntless Angel of Faith, let's go!"

The Faith launched from the _Eternal_, and the Freedom took its place. Kira smiled.

"Kira Yamato!" he said, also broadcasting fleet-wide. "White Angel of Freedom, let's do it!"

The Freedom took off as the Justice moved to the catapult. Both Athrun and Erik smiled, aware of how the words of their aces had caught so many off-guard, and they also opened a fleet-wide broadcast.

"Athrun Zala! Crimson Knight of Justice, launching!"

"Erik Saharin! Black Knight of Conviction, taking off!"

The METEORs were deployed from the _Eternal_, the Freedom and Justice immediately docking with them, all forty-three mobile suits of the Three Ships Alliance now launched.

After giving an approving smile to the four nuclear-powered Gundams, John turned his attention to his team.

"Alright, listen up boys and girls," said John to his pilots. "This is it. ZAFT and the Alliance are set to wipe each other out, unless we stop them. And it falls to us, the men and women of the Alaric Team, to clear the path for the rest of our forces. That means we can't stop for anything. We must break through the ZAFT lines to reach that weapon, even though it means we must fight and even kill our former comrades. Normally, I would ask you all to aim your shots carefully, but we don't have the time for that, and none of us are Kira. For the sake of everyone within the PLANTs and on Earth, nothing can be allowed to stop us. Alaric Team… no, soldiers of humanity, move out!"

The warships and mobile suits of the Alaric Team took off, heading for Jachin Due as the rest of the TSA fleet prepared to follow after them.

"Good luck out there everyone," added John.

* * *

The _Archangel_

"Captain!" said Mir. "There's an unknown mobile suit approaching at Blue 12, Mark 4; distance 600 and closing."

Chris knew who it was.

"I'll deal with him," he said, heading for the approaching enemy. "You guys continue on ahead."

"_But…_" started Murrue.

"Don't worry about me," replied Chris cutting her off. "Like John said, we can't stop for anything. I'll hold him off by myself." Everyone was quiet for a moment.

"_Very well then,_" said Murrue at last. "_But be careful._"

The Raven continued on, heading to intercept the approaching mobile suit. When he could see the mobile suit with his own eyes, it only confirmed what he already knew. It was the Retribution.

"_It's time to end this once and for all,_" said Zane as the two approached each other. "_And what better place than where all of humanity will end._"

"It doesn't have to be this way Zane," said Chris. "When the Bloody Valentine happened, I became like you, angry and hateful at the world for what happened. At Blue Cosmos for doing such a thing. The Earth Alliance for letting Blue Cosmos to do such a thing. ZAFT for not being able to protect our home. Even myself for not being there and dying with them. But I accepted those feelings and moved on."

Zane fired on him, but Chris dodged the shots.

"_And that is why you and I are different,_" replied Zane. "_You have forgotten them, all of them. Jenn, Sara, Kai, Michael, Johnny, Gabriel. My parents._ Your _parents. All of them died that day. I haven't forgotten them! And even if I could… unlike you, I have no second chance!_"

"I haven't forgotten them either!" Chris shot back, firing his railgun. "Everyday I remember them! I remember their faces! I remember their voices! I remember their smiles! I remember all the good times we had! I will never forget them! I'm just not fixating on their deaths! Nor am I trying to avenge their deaths by destroying everything!"

Zane sidestepped the shots, firing his right Poena cannon at him.

"_You think I'm doing this for them?_" he asked as Chris evaded the shot. "_I'm doing this because this is what humanity deserves! After the Bloody Valentine, when Rau Le Creuset found me, I was broken. Pathetic. But he showed me the truth of humanity! We mistrust each other. We're intolerant of each other. We hate each other. And we kill each other! That's all we know how to do! That's all we ever do! Look at them! ZAFT and the Earth Alliance are about to wipe each other out for no reason beyond their own hatred!_"

* * *

Elsewhere

"_Damn!_" said John as they came upon a virtual wall of GuAIZs. "_This'll be tough!_"

"Not for long!" said Erik, rushing forward, gripping the Praemium with both the Conviction's hands.

The Praemium charged and fired, the massive beam sweeping through the GuAIZs at full blast. The Inflatus cannons and turrets of the Conviction swiftly gunned down those that evaded Erik's skillful handling of the bazooka. When the bazooka finally stopped, Erik moved it aside and opened up with all his remaining weapons, clearing the path for the Alaric Team.

A massive heat source approached, and a blast of energy tore through the _Einherjar_. The pilots and crews of the Three Ships Alliance could do nothing but stare in horror as the ship exploded. Turning, they saw a massive mobile armor approaching, looking like a large Aegis, before shifting to a mobile suit, a massive, long-barreled cannon in hand.

"Damn," said Erik. "Don't stop! That's the X11A! I thought the Junk Guild destroyed it but… Nicol, Tolle, you guys are with me!"

"_Roger!_" came a chorus of voices. The Three Ships Alliance continued on as the Conviction, Hellfire Blitz and Athena charged straight into a confrontation with the massive mobile suit.

* * *

Meanwhile

The Faith sped through the battlefield at impossible speeds, obliterating anything that got in its way, whether that was a mobile suit, mobile armor, or an all-out warship. The hyper-velocity mobile suit was spearheading the hunter-killer team tasked with the elimination of the Alliance's nuclear weapons, the METEOR-equipped Freedom and Justice on its flanks with the DEEP Arms, Duel, Buster and Strike Rouge hanging on while the Surge and MA form of the Guardian followed under their own power with external, ejectable generators providing extra power to conserve their batteries.

"Those machines… were getting close!" called Makoto as she spotted the _Dominion_'s Gundams. "Faith, are you ready?"

_Yes ma'am._

Seeing the hunter-killer team, the six Gundams of the _Dominion_ turned on their long-time foes.

Aboard the _Dominion_, Flay was caught by surprise.

_Where's Chris?_

* * *

Elsewhere

The Raven and Retribution continued to exchange fire, but neither seemed to be able to best the other. The Retribution had the superior firepower, but thanks to all its upgrades, the Raven was faster and more maneuverable, allowing it to evade the fire of the Retribution.

"_Naturals were envious of Coordinators,_" said Zane, firing at the Raven's mobile armor form. "_Coordinators looked down on Naturals. That's how it started. Then, the Naturals grew to fear and hate the Coordinators for their enhanced abilities, while the Coordinators began to believe that because of their enhanced genes, they were the next, superior breed of human and grew to despise the 'inferior' Naturals whom they believed were holding them back._"

Zane chased the Raven, but suddenly, a pair of beams lanced out from the Raven at the Retribution, hitting its shoulders. The powerful PS armor absorbed most of the energy, but it still caught Zane off-guard, scorching the armor and throwing off his aim. But it didn't matter… so what if the Raven had a new trick or two?

"_Then, men like Patrick Zala and Muruta Azrael, men that couldn't tolerate the existence of the other race, emerged and the Coordinators and Naturals willingly lined up behind those men!_" continued Zane. "_Why? Because they appealed to the true hearts and desires of people!_"

"You're wrong!" shouted Chris, dodging Zane's attacks. He transformed the Raven to its mobile suit form, swiftly spinning around, and switched back to mobile armor mode, charging the Retribution. "Coordinators. Naturals. We're all people. Flawed, but decent people. All of us have the same dream: to live a decent life. The petty hatred between Coordinators and Naturals must end. It brings nothing but suffering to everyone." The Raven's Ahura Mazda ignited. "Those were your own words! And you were right! That's all people want! To live a decent life in safety and security! But men like Azrael and Zala play on people's fears and problems, blaming the other and getting their people to fear and hate them!"

* * *

Elsewhere

"_Damn! This guy's a pain in the ass!_" shouted Tolle, dodging one of the Regenerate's swords, giving him a split second opening. He aimed and fired both his shield-mounted pulse rifle and his hand-held beam rifle, opening up repeatedly in the split second he had.

The Regenerate's cannon, lacking the protection of Phase Shift Armor, exploded, jarring the large mobile suit.

"_Nice job Tolle!_" said Nicol as the Hellfire Blitz vanished, only to reappear swinging its twin beam scythe at the Regenerate's arm. Meanwhile, the Conviction's bazooka tore into the Regenerate's leg.

The Regenerate activated all of its remaining beam swords, driving the three back as the damaged modules of its frame detached and flew at them, forcing them to destroy them for fear of being hit. In that time, the Regenerate pulled back and attached replacement modules launched from the exterior of nearby ZAFT warships, including a replacement cannon.

"SCREW YOU!" screamed Erik, firing the Praemium at full power, holding it down so that he could also fire the Terminus, along with everything else. The beams crashed into the Regenerate. While many of the weaker blasts from the turrets were unable to damage the PS armor, the more powerful blasts caused significant damage. "Nicol, Tolle, go after the ships!"

"_On it!_"

The damage to the Regenerate, obviously, was not considered enough to warrant replacements… or perhaps the pilot was simply too infuriated. The Regenerate attacked the Conviction all out. Erik grit his teeth, forced to call on his hidden abilities to survive the assault.

The Hellfire Blitz had cloaked to ensure it got to the ships, but the Athena lacked such equipment, forcing Tolle to fight his way there more conventionally. This point was driven home as he destroyed a GINN, only to come under fire from a GuAIZ pair.

Fortunately, the Athena was much more agile than them. Tolle dodged fire, circling with the pair before one charged in recklessly. The Athena flipped over, evading a shot, and aimed its rifle, destroying the charging GuAIZ.

The other one fired its extensional arrestors. One caught Tolle's rifle, but he managed to avoid and cut the other one, and the two suits charged each other.

The GuAIZ jabbed its beam claws forward, but Tolle managed to evade and cut into the more vulnerable underbelly of the shield with his sword, which continued on and split the GuAIZ in two.

Task complete, Tolle quickly turned back to the ZAFT warships, and, reaching the bridge of one, fired his pulse rifle repeatedly.

Nicol, meanwhile, materialized in front of the bridge of a _Nazca_ and fired the Akurei Tsumei into the bridge before he backed away, flipping and spinning the Jigokuogama through the destroyer's nose, flying away as it was destroyed.

Erik continued to exchange blows with the Regenerate, managing to catch and deflect its beam swords twice with his Vitiosus-mounted sabers.

He was relieved when, a moment later, the Hellfire Blitz appeared and severed one limb, while the Athena's pulse rifle destroyed one of its sword generators.

"Let's end this!" he said, firing at the Regenerate as it swung a sword at the Athena.

Tolle dodged, mostly, but the Palace Striker was hit and exploded. The Athena was protected by its PS armor, but it was still badly shaken, and now reduced to only its shield.

Meanwhile, Erik's weapons tore into the Regenerate, and the machine began to explode. The backpack, however, detached and flew for the Hellfire Blitz.

"_I don't know what you want, but stay the hell away from me!_" said Nicol, igniting his flamethrowers. Unwilling to brave the firestorm, the Regenerate's backpack turned to the momentarily vulnerable Athena.

The Conviction couldn't get there in time, and after that last barrage, its weapons would need a moment to recharge before they could inflict damage against the PSA.

However…

"Tolle, catch!" shouted Erik, igniting the sabers into a momentary overdrive and tossing the Vitiosus to the Athena.

The MX1 caught the Vitiosus and reangled it, allowing the Regenerate's backpack to impale itself on the sabers. Tolle kicked it away, and the three pilots fled as the reactor went critical, mere moments away from a nuclear explosion.

* * *

Jachin Due Pilot's Locker Room

Rau donned his pilot suit, idly wondering why he bothered. Intentional handicap, maybe, for when he faced whomever his final confrontation was destined to be? Perhaps, but even he wasn't certain. Perhaps it was simply a final act of self-preservation, or maybe simply a habit left over from the first year of the war, where he wore one for the major space battles… battles like this one.

Rau momentarily considered his bottle of medicine, and considered popping an overdose. Not like it would matter. But then, a voice he hadn't heard in so long that he'd almost forgotten what it sounded like, echoed back to him in full strength.

"_Take care of yourself…"_

Her final words to him. Even though she hated him, she'd asked that of him. Maybe _that_ was why he'd donned the pilot suit.

Popping only one extra pill and taking what he suspected would be his final taste of water, Rau turned and grabbed his helmet, exiting the locker room, no longer fearing the possibility of facing her, knowing he could get away.

He'd checked the reports. The Dreadnought had been stolen… though Rau suspected she might have actually given it away.

* * *

Jachin Due/PLANT Airspace

Chris felt the seed flow through his mind and shatter as the Retribution's bayonets activated. Zane thrust the beams forward, intending to impale the Raven with them.

But Chris was faster. He turned the Raven on its right side and deactivated his left plasma cannon. The Raven flew dangerously close to the Retribution, its single beam blade cutting through the other Gundam's left multi-phase cannon. Zane quickly discarded the cannon just before it exploded. The Retribution spun and fired its remaining cannons at the back of the Raven, but Chris managed to dodge those shots as well.

"Looks like the Raven is at least as strong as one of your cannons," taunted Chris, turning back towards the Retribution.

However, Chris also knew that Zane possessed the SEED as well… Makoto had warned him. He'd have to be careful.

Zane growled. "_You got lucky,_" he said. "_But no more! I'll crush you with this mobile suit! Even if it's the last thing I do!_" Zane was yelling by the end and a seed was shattered by rage in the back of his mind.

The Retribution's cannons let loose a furious barrage. Chris dodged most of the shots, but one found its mark, hitting the tip of Raven's left wing. The Raven shook violently as the hit landed. Chris quickly transformed it back into its mobile suit mode and fired its railgun. One of the shots hit its target, the Retribution's remaining Poena multi-phase cannon. The cannon exploded.

"_Gah! I'm not beaten that easily!_" said Zane, drawing his beam sabers.

Chris drew his own sabers and charged forward, their blades clashing. The Raven was strong, but the Retribution's power was far greater. The Retribution overpowered the midnight blue machine, pushing it back before bringing down his sabers. Chris sidestepped to the left, but didn't quite make it. The Retribution's sabers sliced through the barrels of the Raven's railgun and right wing. Chris took that moment to thrust his left saber at the Retribution, but one of its sub arms rose up and blocked the saber with its own. Zane laughed as he kicked the Raven back.

"_Your luck has run out,_" he said. "_You don't stand a chance against the Retribution in that piece of junk._"

The Raven flew back from the kick but it quickly righted itself.

"It doesn't matter," said Chris, resolve hardening to a degree that he'd only previously seen in Kira and Makoto and never felt in himself. "I don't care how superior your machine is to the Raven! I will not lose! I will not let your insane dream happen! Even if I die here, I won't let you win!"

Suddenly, something happened… something completely unexpected…

* * *

Elsewhere

The Strike fired its rifle, destroying a Strike Dagger. Mu fired at another when he felt it. It was like the feeling he felt whenever Rau was near. But it was noticeably different from that feeling. He turned to the source of the feeling.

"What is that?" he questioned.

* * *

Near the _Dominion_

"What is this…? Kira, do you feel that?" asked Makoto.

"_Yeah,_" said Kira. "_What is it?_"

"… Chris," said Makoto. "Kira, it's Chris! He's like us now! He's awakened Divinity!"

* * *

Elsewhere

"Huh?" said the pilot, pausing after gutting a 105 Dagger. "That's interesting… why the sudden burst? Isn't it supposed to be gradual for normal people?"

"_Commander?_" asked a GuAIZ pilot.

"Nothing… don't worry about it," responded the commander.

* * *

Meanwhile

Chris found his awareness of the world around him expanding to levels he had never experienced before. It was indescribable. Zane fired his beam cannons at the Raven, but Chris instinctively knew where the shots were going to hit, allowing him to avoid the shots and before Zane could react, sliced the tips of the cannons off.

"_Impossible…_" whispered a stunned Zane.

"I told you: I won't let you win!" replied Chris. _I understand now… this is the resolve of Divinity! Dad… I'll make you proud! I'll use whatever gifts you've given me to save everyone!_

"That's four cannons down, Zane!" said Chris. "It looks like the power of your cannons aren't as great as the Raven's!"

The Retribution's remaining sub arm unfolded.

"_Fine then!_" said Zane with all four of the Retribution's sabers casting a crimson glow on the mobile suit. "_We'll settle this with swords. Something that I have a distinct advantage in._"

"_We'll see,_" replied Chris.

Both pilot roared, charging forward.

* * *

Elsewhere

"What the…?" muttered Erik, eyes widening in horror as the Conviction froze, the Athena and Hellfire Blitz overtaking it.

"_Erik, what's wrong?_" asked Tolle.

"No, not now!" said Erik.

"_Erik?_" questioned Nicol.

"Get out of here!" shouted Erik. "Find Makoto! Tell her it's time! She'll know what I mean!"

"_Erik what are you…?_" started Tolle, the Athena moving towards the Conviction.

"I said get out of here and find Makoto!" roared Erik as the Conviction's Praemium was leveled at the Athena, catching the other two pilots off-guard. "I can't control it anymore!"

The Praemium fired on the Athena.

* * *

Jachin Due X13A Hangar

"I'm sure you understand how this is supposed to work, sir," said a mechanic as Rau approached the cockpit of his new machine.

"Yes," said Rau, sitting down and lowering the seat into the cockpit proper. He activated the mobile suit's systems and Phase Shift Armor. "I'll give it a try."

"Anything that man can do…" he continued to himself, smirking slightly as he thought of Mu. "I'm sure I can do just as well."

The hangar doors opened.

"This is Rau Le Creuset, Providence launching!"

* * *

Jachin Due Control Room

"Mirror block in place, N-Jammer Canceler activated. Connecting to nuclear cartridge. All systems connected. All clear to fire," reported an operator.

"Fire!" said Patrick, giving the order to unleash GENESIS upon the Earth Forces again.

As the gamma energy was reflected off of the alignment mirror and hit the main body of GENESIS, focusing into a coherent beam, a lone Gundam, Rau Le Creuset's Providence, exited Jachin Due.

* * *

**Author's Notes: A lot going on in the latter half. But, let's remain objective. I want to make sure I don't forget something, like I usually do (bad Maileesaeya!!!). So, I'll go over stuff "From start to finish".**

**First off, I don't have much to say about the first portion of it. I considered having those GuAIZs that gave the druggie Gundams hell last chapter appear, ordering the other ZAFT forces to stop chasing the Alliance, but I decided not too.**

**Anyways, the next thing to note is that the little promise between Kira and Lacus is actually a nod to my first Gundam SEED fanfic, _The White Queen_. We also get to see that the Faith's cockpit was apparently modified to take advantage of the Black Box AI as a sort of semi-copilot. Okay, there are stranger things in the Gundam universe, and it's not that different from Lowe's own AI.**

**We also see the druggies experiencing a sort of semi-hell. In canon, the Strike, with Kira at the controls, was shown as equivalent to the RX-78-2 Gundam with Amuro at the controls, with GINNs taking the place of Zakus. But other than that and those first battles against Miguel, Gundams are presented as drastically more powerful than conventional machines, similar to their portrayal in Gundam Wing. This was especially annoying with the drug-addicts, given that they were still piloting battery-powered MS. Here, although I allow the nuclear-powered Gundams an easy time of things, it can be credited to a combination of reactor and pilot, though primarily reactor in this particular case. This is why I enjoyed seeing the Justice and Conviction as victims of the Drache Schild.**

**Next comment, we see that Tolle's presence hasn't openly affected the Dearka-Mir relationship one way or the other, but reading that part, I somehow get the feeling that their relationship is further than it was in canon. Also, Saul takes a brief jab at Yzak about Shiho. I was pretty pissed at myself about forgetting her last chapter, and even the mild corrections I made there just aren't satisfying.**

**Then we have that whole big launch sequence of the battery-powered machines, in which Chris and Liz use their full names, and Mu launches with a "Lightning Gunbarrel Strike". That'll be fun. Following that, Makoto, Kira, Athrun and Erik launch as the Dauntless Angel of Faith, White Angel of Freedom, Crimson Knight of Justice and Black Knight of Conviction. Makoto's use of the name "Arata" is perhaps symbolic in nature, for her at least.**

**I also break up the fight between Chris and Zane into several scenes here, spreading it out more and making it seem longer (in point of fact, the parts in this chapter are no longer than those in the original version). We do get to see an upgrade for the Raven, as it apparently now has rear-firing beam guns!**

**During one of the breaks of the Chris-Zane fight, I bring in the Regenerate. This is actually a second unit created to defend Jachin Due, and while it really didn't get to fulfill that job, it still dealt a heavy blow with the destruction of the _Einherjar_. I bet _that_ caught people off-guard. And then, Erik decides to go toe-to-toe with that monster with only Tolle and Nicol for support! Oh joy! In all honesty, though, part of the reason for those three getting to tangle with that monster is because they haven't gotten enough "screen time" since these final legs started. These three get their shot at a big spotlight when they destroy the Regenerate, and we get to see Tolle go head-to-head against ZAFT GuAIZs without any support and win. The Athena lost a fair bit to the Regenerate, but it was worth it. I'm sorry if people were letdown by that particular fight, but I enjoyed it tremendously. I think my favorite part was when Tolle impaled the backpack with the sabers of the Conviction's shield.**

**During the locker room scene at Jachin Due, Rau also briefly reflects on what seems to be a final shred of humanity within him, revolving around whoever this mysterious _she_ is.**

**Chris, obtaining the firm resolve that has settled in Kira and Makoto since they obtained the Freedom and Faith, awakens his own piece of Divinity, his unintentionally long-suppressed Newtype powers, allowing him to take the advantage from the superior Retribution.**

**Finally, something's happening to Erik. Whatever it is, he seems to have spoken with Makoto about it beforehand, so he knew whatever is happening was coming, but he doesn't seem pleased with the timing. It has, however, apparently caused him to fire on a nearly defenseless Tolle with one of the strongest MS-weapons out there. That's certainly odd.**

**Kira, Makoto and Mu all sense Chris awakening his piece of Divinity, but who is this other pilot (apparently a ZAFT commander) who also senses the Awakening? Meh, we'll find out eventually (or maybe not, knowing me).**

**Alright, enough of that! I have now gone on for an extended period of time about this chapter (longest****… author's note****… I have ever written). I'd just like to note that I have now removed the mecha page from the beginning of this story. It seems that a lot of people end up looking at the mecha page, seeing that OCs are prominent, and going "Oh no! There's an OC! It's gonna be horrible!" and don't read any further as a result, never trying to get a better grasp of the actual _story_. It annoys me.**

**Instead, I'll be posting an "All Mecha Page" after the epilogue is posted, which will include extra details not originally listed, such as the type of mobile suit (the same information listed on MAHQ and my Neo Cosmic Era site).**

**Edit: Nevermind on the removing mecha page from the beginning. I just realized that'll mess with reviews at the moment****… but I'll still be posting the "All Mecha Page" when the epilogue is finished!  
**

**Alright, I said enough, and I meant it, yet I'm _still_ going on! Anyways, everyone, please leave a review, alert your friends who you think would be interested, vote on the poll, try to guess as to what upgrades I've given the first-generation Gundams outside of the reinforced cockpit and****… Review! (I know I already said it, I don't care).**

**Enough for now. I'll see you all soon, I hope! Say****ōnara!**


	38. Phase 37: The Final Light

**Yay! Thank you prodigisk!!! You are the 400th reviewer for _Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Dauntless_. We have a winner!**

**Now, let's see how long it takes before I hit 500********… (no, this isn't an excuse to wait on your reviews. *glares*)  
**

* * *

**Wow… so****… excited****… it isn't even funny.**

******The endgame, well and truly. This chapter will likely earn me at least one comment about reminding them of a certain anime creator's reputation (*cough* Tomino *cough*). To sum it up though: I've spared a _lot_ of characters throughout this story. It's time to remedy that, with a plethora of surprises waiting for you.**

******Once I got to work on this chapter, I just couldn't stop. Everything flowed, and virtually the entire chapter was re-written, with the only major lack of changes being Chris's fight with Zane, and even that was modified here and there to account for upgrades to the Raven and a few other things****…**

******In any case, I am _not_ going to bore you with all the details. I'll just****… let you get to it all on your own. ^_^**

**Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply.**

* * *

Phase Thirty-Seven: The Final Light

September 27th, C.E. 71

* * *

Jachin Due

A massive beam of energy tore away from GENESIS, streaking past the forces fighting at Jachin Due.

"Is that… could it be…?" muttered Natarle. "Quick, what's the projected target?"

"It's aimed at… the moon!" said Pressly. "The Ptolemaeus Crater!"

Pressly's assessment was dead on. But there was more that just the Earth Forces base in the path of GENESIS.

The reinforcements of the 13th Orbital Fleet were also directly in the path of the gamma ray laser. Just like before, there was no defense against such a weapon. Much of the fleet was annihilated in a matter of seconds, while the beam continued on its path like they weren't even there, reaching the Ptolemaeus Crater Base. Even at that distance, the beam was just as destructive, obliterating the entire base in an explosion to rival any nuclear blast.

Although shocked, this only served to harden the resolve of the Earth Forces troops fighting at Jachin Due. The Earth pilots knew that GENESIS could be fired at the Earth, wiping out everything and everyone on the planet, just as the ZAFT pilots knew that the Alliance still had nuclear weapons that could be used against the PLANTs, destroying them and killing millions. While some pilots still fought to wipe the other race out, most fought on for one simple reason, the very reason they should've been fighting for from the beginning: to ensure the survival of their homes and loved ones.

* * *

The _Dominion_

"Ma'am! Message from the reinforcement fleet," reported Flay, shocked as the message came in. "Half of the fleet has been wiped out!"

Natarle could only grit her teeth in frustration. With Ptolemaeus gone and half of their reinforcements gone, things were not looking good for them. Their only hope now was to punch a hole in the ZAFT lines for the Peacemaker Force to destroy GENESIS.

"Its what?" gasped Azrael.

"Was hitting the fleet part of their plan…?" questioned Natarle under her breath.

* * *

Three Ships Alliance Fleet

"Now that they've lost their lunar base, they have no choice but to fallback," said Murrue. "Natarle!"

"We must never allow them to fire that device again," said Lacus.

"If that thing fires on Earth, we're all finished," added Andy.

Nearby, the nuclear hunter-killer team had lost sight of their targets in all the confusion. Instead, they were forced to fight more conventional enemies.

Kira took aim and fired all his weapons, some shots crippling his targets, some outright destroying them. Much as Kira hated it, they didn't have time to be merciful. Those precious seconds spent sparing a hundred enemies could make all the difference in saving countless billions.

"There are too many of them!" said Athrun, activating his METEOR's beam swords and cutting apart a _Nelson_.

"You think?!" questioned Makoto rhetorically as she destroyed a trio of 105 Daggers.

Yzak and Shiho were beginning to buckle under strain of sheer numbers of Strike Daggers and GINNs.

Suddenly, though, clusters of beams flew in, tearing into the enemy ranks, and helping to thin the horde.

"_You look like you guys could use some help!_" said Saul as the Surge sped into the fray, beam revolvers blazing.

"Ugh, just get out of our way!" said Cagalli, firing her rifle at a CGUE repeatedly, destroying the ZAFT mobile suit.

"Damn it!" said Liz, uncoupling her twin rifle and opening up with the two single-barrels. "Why do you want to defend such inhumane weapons?!"

A 105 Dagger charged at Liz, swinging a beam saber. The brunette dodged and combined her rifles, aiming the twin rifle point-blank into the Dagger's cockpit.

She fired, and the beam tore straight through the Dagger and several more mobile suits behind it were also damaged or destroyed.

"You idiots!" said Dearka, dodging fire from a mixed group of Strike Daggers and 105 Daggers. "We're trying to stop GENESIS too!"

The Daggers didn't let up though. Teeth grit, Dearka fired his rifle and gun-launcher at a pair of Strike Daggers, destroying them, then letting loose a barrage from his shoulder-mounted missile pods. These were quickly gunned down, but behind them was a swarm of more powerful missiles, launched from the new pods on the Buster's legs, which destroyed the bulk of the remaining machines.

A Sword Striker-equipped Dagger charged in, swinging the Schwert Gewehr. Dearka pulled to the left, activating the bayonets on his weapons, and stabbed the two beams through the Dagger's cockpit.

"_Makoto!_" came a voice suddenly. Everyone spared a glance in its direction, and were horrified by what they saw.

"Tolle!" cried Makoto. "Nicol, what happened?!"

The Hellfire Blitz was carrying a badly damaged Athena, which had lost its left arm and Striker pack.

"_It's Erik!_" said Nicol, causing the others to gasp. "_He… I don't know what! He's lost it! He told me and Tolle to get away and find you before he said he'd lost control and started attacking us!_"

"No…" said Makoto. "At a time like this…?"

Breaking away from the rest of the group, Makoto spread the Faith's wings and rocketed away at maximum safe speed while Nicol carried Tolle back towards the _Archangel_.

* * *

The _Dominion_

Azrael tore Flay's headset off and furiously opened a channel to the _Doolittle_.

"_Mr. Azrael…_" started Sutherland.

"Send out the nuclear attack force!" ordered Azrael. "They're to target the PLANTs!"

Natarle was stunned. The PLANTs? They needed to destroy GENESIS before it could be fired at Earth!

"Director Azrael!" said Natarle, angrily shooting up from her seat.

"Destroy every last one of them!" shouted Azrael. "Smash those hourglasses into dust! Have those guys come back and clear you a path!"

"_Yes, Mr. Azrael,_" said Sutherland, cutting the channel.

"But that won't eliminate the threat to Earth!" objected Natarle. "We have to stop that weapon!"

"Oh, that's it!" said Azrael, reaching in his suit. "I've had just about enough of your nagging, woman!"

He drew a pistol from his coat and pointed it at Natarle. Natarle's eyes widened in surprise while Flay stared at the gun less than a foot from her face in terror.

* * *

The _Archangel_

"Captain!" said Mir. "The carriers around the _Dominion_ are breaking off and heading for the PLANTs!"

"They must have the nukes…" whispered Murrue. "We'll go after them. _Eternal_ and _Kusanagi_, take care of GENESIS."

"_Roger that,_" said Andy.

* * *

Elsewhere

Clotho fired his beam cannon at a CGUE, piercing its cockpit.

"This is too easy," he commented.

"Yeah. Where the hell are those strong opponents?" asked Orga, shooting down a trio of GINNs with his bazooka.

At that moment, messages appeared on their consoles.

_Urgent._

_Priority One._

_Return to the _Dominion_ to escort Peacemaker Force immediately._

"Aw… More babysitting," whined Clotho. "That's barely any fun."

"Shut up dumbass," said Orga, heading, alongside the Forbidden, for the _Dominion_. "You want to get in trouble?"

Clotho growled, but followed them alongside Christian. They had no idea where Roslyn was.

Louisa, however, didn't follow.

"Forget it," she said. She could take the pain. And anyways… "We'll die here, Makoto. The both of us, together forever in the embrace of death."

The Twilight shot off towards GENESIS, combing the battlefield for the Faith.

* * *

Elsewhere

Mobile suit upon mobile armor upon warship were obliterated by a large mobile suit covered with weapons practically head to foot.

Erik smirked, an insane glint in his eyes as he laughed almost maniacally, destroying anything and everything in his sights indiscriminately.

"Finally… the weakness is gone," he said, catching sight of the _Archangel_ and _Dominion_ in the distance. "Yes… you'll make excellent bait for her… there's no way she'll fail to notice this."

Erik tore off his helmet and, still smiling maliciously, flew towards the two assault ships, looking forward to the confrontation between the Black Knight and the Dauntless Angel.

However, he suddenly pulled up and away as fire came from below. The Supremacy's Agni lit up space again, but Erik still dodged without effort.

The Strike-successor machine charged at the heavy weapons Gundam. Erik grinned.

"Perhaps you can keep me entertained for a few minutes!" he said, charging forward as well.

* * *

The _Dominion_

"What exactly are you planning on doing with that thing?" asked Natarle defiantly. "Are you trying to take control of this ship?"

"Taking control? I've been in charge of this ship from the beginning!" said Azrael. "Remember, the only job you had was to follow my every command. Yet you keep questioning every single order I give!"

"Message from the _Doolittle_," said Pressly, momentarily taking over for the shocked Flay. "The Peacemaker Force reports that it is ready for takeoff."

"Then have them takeoff!" ordered Azrael. "Alert the–"

"Chief Adams," said Natarle, cutting Azrael off as she glared defiantly at the leader of Blue Cosmos. "Aim all weapons at the Peacemaker Force carriers. Shoot them down."

"With pleasure, ma'am," said Adams, shocking Azrael.

"What are you doing?!" he demanded, turning the gun on Adams.

"My job," said Adams. "You were never in control here, Blue Cosmos bastard!"

"Why you!" shouted Azrael, beginning to pull the trigger. "For the Preser–"

_BANG!!!_

Flay screamed in shock as Azrael floated past her, blood leaking from his forehead as five more bullets were pumped into him.

"I hate that line," said Grissom, lowering the gun.

"Cutting it a little close there?" asked Natarle.

"Sorry ma'am."

"Get that son of a bitch off my bridge," said Natarle, sitting back in her seat. "Adams, do you have a firing solution?"

"Locked and loaded ma'am," said Adams, smirking as Grissom and several other crewmembers grabbed Azrael's body and removed him from the bridge. "Ready to fire on your orders."

"Fire."

* * *

The _Archangel_

"Ma'am!" exclaimed Mir. "The _Dominion _is…"

Before she could finish, the _Dominion_'s weapons opened up. Massive beams tore through two of the nuclear carriers, while missiles crashed into a third, and rounds from the Valiants tore through the last of them.

Sadly, the Peacemaker Force had already launched, and the mobile armors were racing desperately for the PLANTs. The _Archangel_ crew was too shocked by what had just happened to realize the Peacemaker Force was escaping.

"The _Dominion_ is hailing us, ma'am," said Mir. Natarle's face appeared on the screen.

"_Sorry if we surprised you,_" she said.

"Natarle… I didn't expect…" said Murrue.

"_We can worry about it later,_" said the _Dominion_'s captain. "_The nukes are still on their way to the PLANTs._" As she said this, the _Dominion_ started moving after the Peacemaker Force. "_I'd hoped to use them on ZAFT's weapon, but no such luck with Azrael._"

"Follow the _Dominion_," ordered Murrue before turning back to Natarle. "What happened to him?"

"_He's dead,_" said Natarle, and there was no mistaking the satisfaction in her voice. "_Along with Sutherland._"

"What about the six Gundams?" asked Murrue as the _Archangel_ pulled alongside its sister ship.

"_The prototypes? Still against us, I'm afraid,_" said Natarle. "_We also need to keep an eye out for the _Principality_, and those six machines will be escorting the mobile armors. Where are your machines?_"

"Divided," said Murrue. "We sent some to find the nukes, but the bulk of them were sent to help bring down GENESIS."

"_I see,_" said Natarle. "_Then we'll have to make do on our own._"

Or perhaps not.

"Archangel_, this is the Blitz,_" came Nicol's voice. "_I've got the Athena with me. It was hit by the Conviction._"

"The Conviction?" gasped Mir.

"But why would Erik…?" said Sai.

* * *

Meanwhile

The Conviction was very clearly toying with the Supremacy, and Roslyn was growing tired of it.

"Just die already!" she screamed, charging in with the Schwert Gewehr.

Also tired of this game, Erik dodged, cutting apart the Schwert Gewehr with his shield-mounted sabers, then deactivated them and grabbed hold of the Supremacy with the claws of the Vitiosus.

Roslyn tried to grab her rifle, but Erik fired the Praemium on the Supremacy's legs, the Inflatus on its left arm, and took off the right arm and head with his turrets.

Suddenly, a blade emerged from within the shield, stabbing straight into the cockpit armor, and began to glow with heat as it slowly forced its way in.

"Hahahaha!" laughed Erik maliciously, shooting down any who tried to interfere without paying them any real attention. "You were fun, for a time. If you can entertain me until she shows up, maybe, just _maybe_, I'll be merciful and kill you quickly… or, if you're really lucky, I might even leave you alive."

Roslyn's terrified screams filled the comm. lines as the high heat blade began to pierce into the Supremacy's cockpit at an agonizingly slow pace.

"Any last words?" asked Erik cruelly. "Will you cry for your mommy? Beg for your lover to come save you? Or maybe cry to god for help. Not that it would matter… god is an illusion for control after all."

"_K-Kazuo…_" came Roslyn's terrified voice over the comm. lines. Those witnessing what was happening were terrified by what the Conviction was doing.

"Oh? That sounds like a call for a lover," said Erik. "Kazuo? Kazuo Endo? That's laughable. How appropriate that I would kill you, when he was killed by _my_ counterpart!"

"_Erik, stop it!_" screamed Makoto, the Faith flying in, wings spread, firing the Exia at the Conviction's heat blade.

"Oh? You decided to show up at last!" said Erik, dodging, but not releasing the Supremacy, though he did stop moving the blade forward. "And come on, you should know better than that!"

"_Fine then, demon!_" spat Makoto. "_I won't let you do this! I won't let you force him into this!_"

"I'm merely the incarnation of his true self, you stupid redheaded bitch!" shouted Erik, firing the Praemium at the Faith. The Faith dodged it.

"It's been fun," said Erik, looking back at the Supremacy. "But you're a hindrance now!"

The Conviction's heat blade stabbed forward, splitting Roslyn in two at the waist, the wound immediately cauterized by the heat as the blade pierced out of the Supremacy's back. The Conviction released the Supremacy and flew away as it exploded, firing on the Faith.

"And now it's your turn!" shouted Erik, continuing to fire at Makoto.

"_Not a chance in hell!_" she said, flying forward.

Exia met twin shield-mounted beam sabers, and the two broke apart, flying at each other once again, and spiraling upwards as they continued to fight, leaving all others behind.

* * *

PLANT Airspace

"The nukes!" said Yzak, eyes widening as he spotted the Peacemaker Force. "What the hell?! Why are they still going after the PLANTs?!"

"_What? Why would they go after the PLANTs with GENESIS right there?!_" exclaimed Saul. "_Damn it!_"

The Duel, Buster, Surge, Guardian, Strike Rouge and DEEP Arms turned towards the Peacemaker Force and began flying after them, cutting and shooting down anything that got in their way.

Meanwhile, the Forbidden and Raider attacked the Freedom and Justice.

Shani fired his Hresvelgr at the Justice, but Athrun pulled up and fired his beam cannons at the Forbidden. Shani dropped his shields, which bent the beams away, but the Forbidden was still pushed back by their sheer power.

Clotho threw his hammer at the Freedom, but Kira dodged away and swung one of his beam swords at the black Raven-copy mobile suit, which dodged by shifting to mobile armor mode.

Meanwhile, Yzak led the rest of the mobile suits in a charge on the Peacemaker Force, only to be intercepted by a hail of bullets and lethal weapons fire as the Calamity and Deliverance charged them alongside a horde of Striker-equipped 105 Daggers.

"Gah, damn it!" said Yzak, firing on the two artillery machines. "Saul, Shiho, Lady Cagalli! Go after the grunts and the nukes! We'll deal with these bastards!"

"_What?! But… fine!_" said Cagalli, teeth obviously grit, and the Strike Rouge followed the lead of the Surge and DEEP Arms in engaging the less powerful mass-produced machines while Yzak and Dearka engaged the Calamity and Liz went head-to-head with the Deliverance and the man who'd murdered her parents and childhood friends.

"For Junius Seven!" cried Liz, firing her uncoupled rifles on the Deliverance, well aware of just who was piloting the mobile suit.

But at that moment, the mobile armors fired their lethal payload, and the six mobile suits of the hunter-killer team weren't in any position to stop all of them.

Kira and Athrun spotted the nukes.

"Damn," said Athrun, a green jewel seed racing through his mind before shattering.

"Don't you guys care about all the lives you're trying to wipe out?!" shouted Kira, triggering his own seed, somewhat more consciously than Athrun.

The Freedom and Justice broke away from their opponents and opened up, obliterating almost all of the missiles.

Seeing the remaining ones, and in a position to eliminate them, Yzak, Dearka, Liz, Cagalli, Saul and Shiho fired, destroying the last of the nukes.

"Damn it…" said Christian. "We're not even the real enemy here! It's those damn Coordinator space monsters!"

The Deliverance broke away, flying for the _Principality_, Liz giving chase.

* * *

Meanwhile

The Alaric Team tore through the ZAFT defense lines, fighting like men possessed. Lucius gunned down a CGUE and two GINNs with the precision of a surgeon. A ZAFT GuAIZ fired its arrestors at Ajay's GuAIZ, but before they could reach him, he ignited his beam claws and sliced the cables in an instant. Before the GuAIZ pilot could react, Ajay fired his own arrestors at him. The arrestors grabbed onto the GuAIZ and Ajay charged at him, slashing through the GuAIZ. A _Nazca_-class and _Laurasia_-class moved to block the warships of the Alaric Team, but Basque and his heavy weapons team attacked the ships, targeting their engines and weapons.

"You're not stopping us!" yelled Basque as he fired on the _Nazca_'s main cannons.

His heavy particle cannon made quick work of the weapons.

But the Alaric Team was incurring their own losses. A light blue GuAIZ gunned down another GuAIZ, only to be shot in the back by a pair of GINNs. A trio of GuAIZ overwhelmed a white and red GuAIZ, bringing it down with a large barrage of beams.

John, atop the edge of the _Odin_'s catapult, was taking out ZAFT mobile suits with his sniper rifle. Every shot he took removed at least one ZAFT machine from the battle.

But even then, their advance was slowing. More ZAFT mobile suits and warships were moving to intercept them. They were starting to get overwhelmed by the numbers.

A GuAIZ and three GINNs rose up in front of the Odin, firing at the Farsight. John swore as he jumped back to avoid their fire. He quickly pulled up his rifle and pistol, but before he could fire, a beam tore through his rifle, and Basque attacked the four mobile suits, destroying them.

"_Commander are yo–_"

A GINN High-Maneuver Type's sword tore through the cockpit of the Bruticus II.

"BASQUE!" shouted John, firing on the GINN. But it was too late, and the Bruticus exploded, taking one of John's first lieutenants with it. "Damn it!"

* * *

Elsewhere

"I'll give you credit," said Chris. "You are strong… but no match for me!"

Their duel had intensified, but Zane was struggling to keep up. The Retribution had already lost its left foot while the Raven had been untouched since they had started their saber duel.

"_Damn it! RAAAGH!_" roared Zane as swung his sabers at the Raven. Again, it dodged his attack. "_Impossible! How can you keep avoiding every move I make?!_"

"Well, I could ask how you've become so slow and predictable," replied Chris, swinging his saber through one of the Retribution's sub arms. "I can see your movements quite easily. You might as well surrender. You can't beat me now."

"_Impossible… you've become like them…_" Zane paused for a moment, gritting his teeth in frustration. "_No matter! I'll defeat you regardless of that!_"

Zane lunged at the Raven, swinging his sabers wildly. But Chris dodged, blocked or countered every swing he took.

"_DAMN YOU!_" he screamed, his attacks becoming more wild and desperate. "_I WILL NOT LOSE TO YOU EVER AGAIN!_"

Every time the two had battled, the best Zane could ever achieve was a stalemate. But every draw, every defeat, every battle, had pushed him forward; driven him to become stronger. To become stronger for this battle. Even if he hoped to die, he would not allow himself to lose here so easily!

Suddenly, something snapped within Zane. Both pilots paused. Chris stopped when he felt something emerge from the Retribution, a pulse that caused a shudder to crawl up his spine. Zane, on the other hand, felt the entire world… no the entire universe becoming clearer before him. It was like he had, up until this point, seen everything through a fog, but now the fog had lifted from his eyes.

Not taking a chance, Chris rushed at the Retribution, intending to end the duel right there and now. He swung his sabers down on the Retribution, only to have the blades perfectly blocked by the Retribution's blades.

Zane started laughing.

"_I saw it! I saw that attack!_" he said, a grin on his face. "_Everything has become so much clearer now! Hahahahaha! It's funny! Le Creuset always looked down me because I lacked what both you and he have! I was always second to_ her_! Because I didn't have what she had! Her! Le Creuset's failure! And yet I was always second to her! Even after she rejected him and his quest! But not any more! That doesn't matter anymore! Nor does your new awareness! Because now, we are equal!_"

"Indeed we are," was Chris's only response. "Indeed we are."

* * *

The _Principality_

"So, Badgiruel betrayed us," said Michaels, staring at the _Archangel_ and _Dominion_. "But how did she convince our agents to follow her…?"

"Sir! The Deliverance is approaching!" reported the sensor operator. Michaels nodded as Christian's face appeared on the screen.

"Christian, this hardly seems the time to catch up," said Michaels. "So I assume you need something? That last bit of equipment?"

"_Yes sir,_" said Christian. "_I'll get through and shatter those hourglasses personally._"

"Lead the 13th Mobile Armor Corps there," said Michaels, smirking. "That's what we put on these carriers."

Christian smirked right back. "_With pleasure sir!_"

The screen cut, and Michaels gave the order to launch the Deliverance's supplementary equipment, along with the launch of the 13th Mobile Armor Corps, the same group to which Christian had belonged when he destroyed Junius Seven.

The same group from which the squadron of Michaels old command, the _Roosevelt_, had come.

"Contact the 13th Strike Force," ordered Michaels. "We're going to destroy the _Archangel_ and the _Dominion_."

* * *

_Possibly, we humans can exist without actually having to fight. But many of us have chosen to fight. For what reason?_

* * *

Elsewhere

Raider, in its mobile armor mode, strafed the Justice, hitting it with railgun rounds and bullets, knocking Athrun back a bit, but the blows did little else. Athrun fired off a number of missiles as the Raider flew past. Clotho quickly spun around, transforming the Raider back, and firing several shots at the missiles, destroying them. But Athrun didn't let up, swinging the METEOR's beam swords at the Raider.

"_What's the deal with you two anyway? Why are you fighting so desperately?_" asked Clotho, a desperate tone in his voice as he evaded more of Athrun's swings.

"I want to ask you the same thing," replied Athrun. What do you guys think you're fighting for?"

"_Don't ask me, I don't really know._" Clotho paused. _"…I hate losing. That's my only reason!_"

"What?" gasped Athrun.

"_Not that I would ever lose!_" yelled Clotho as he spun around and fired at the Justice.

"_Die!_" roared Shani, firing his plasma cannon at the Surge.

Saul nimbly dodged and sidestepped the curving beams, firing his beam rifle as he did.

"It's gonna take more than wild shots to get me!" he said.

Saul fired his claw at the Forbidden. To his surprise, Shani pulled up his pack and grabbed the claw's cable with one hand.

"Ah shit…" said Saul, remembering far too many instances of this, just before Shani pulled on the cable.

The Surge flew forward, towards the Forbidden, which had lowered its scythe, the spiked tip ready to impale the Surge. Saul quickly drew one of his long swords and sliced through the cable while activating his thrusters. The Surge stopped.

"Okay. Now I'm mad!" said Saul, drawing his other long sword. Even if he lost these, though, he still had his two short swords as well, and he could think of a number of different potential uses for them.

Elsewhere, Cagalli and a pair of Astray pilots were battling a group of Strike Daggers and 105 Daggers. Cagalli fired at a pair of Strike Daggers, shooting one down and severing the leg of the other.

"Ha! You guys aren't so tough!" gloated Cagalli.

"_Lady Cagalli! Behind you!_" shouted Mayura.

Cagalli spun around. A 105 Dagger, armed with a beam saber, lunged at her. Suddenly, Juri dove in between the Strike Rouge and the Dagger, firing her rifle as the Dagger's saber cut through the Astray. Both exploded.

"Juri!" cried Cagalli.

"_Lady Cagalli!_" said Mayura, approaching her. "_Are you–_"

She never got a chance to finish her sentence as a Strike Dagger shot her from behind.

"Murderous bastards!" screamed Cagalli, a seed exploding in her mind.

She quickly fired, destroying that Dagger, before taking down three more in rapid succession.

"Athrun! Kira! Cagalli!" said Yzak. "You guys get going! We'll deal with any more nukes they might have left! You've got to stop GENESIS!"

"_But these guys–_" started Athrun.

"_Go!_" shouted Shiho. "_We'll deal with them!_"

* * *

_To protect something? Protect what? Ourselves? The future? If we kill people to protect ourselves and this future, then what sort of future is it and what will we have become?_

* * *

Meanwhile

"Le Creuset!" roared Mu as he fired on his long time rival and enemy.

Rau smirked as he dodged the Strike's fire with ease and fired back. Rau had hoped that he would have a chance to see Mu again before it all ended.

Mu dodged his beams with the same ease. "Is this what you were hoping for, you bastard?!" shouted Mu as he deployed the gunbarrels and opened fire on Le Creuset's machine.

"_You shouldn't blame me, Mu!_" yelled Rau, releasing his DRAGOONs. "_This is mankind's dream! Mankind's desire! Mankind's destiny!_" Mu struggled to dodge the numerous beams coming at him from multiple directions, and was unable to shoot the swift DRAGOONs down with his comparatively slow and clumsy gunbarrels. "_To be the strongest, to go the farthest, to climb the highest!_"

A beam destroyed Mu's rifle, but otherwise, Mu had managed to evade his shots.

"You're pathetic!" Mu shot back, drawing a beam saber and lunging at Rau as one of his gunbarrels was destroyed. He'd gotten good use out of them up to now, but against this machine…!

Rau activated his shield mounted beam saber, blocking his attack. "_To compete, to envy, to hate each other, and devour one another!_"

"I won't let your twisted logic make things worse!" said Mu, backing off, storing his saber and combining the parts of the electromagnetic cannon, firing at the Providence.

"_But you're too late, Mu!_" said Rau, firing from his DRAGOONs again. "_You see… I am the product of all of this! That's how I know! I know that humanity will be swallowed by the darkness it's created!_"

This time, the beams blew off the Strike's right arm and left leg, sending the mobile flying like a rag doll as Rau destroyed the Strike's cannon and remaining gunbarrels.

* * *

The _Eternal_

"There is no future for those who have died. And what of those who did the killing? Is happiness to be found in a future that is grasped with blood stained hands?" said Lacus, her pupils dilated. "Is that the truth?"

* * *

Elsewhere

"I won't let you win!" said Makoto, firing all her weapons on the Conviction. Erik dodged these shots and returned fire with a full payload, which the Faith likewise evaded.

"_Do you think you can stop me?!_" shouted Erik, raining down beams from his turrets, Inflatus and Terminus cannons as he charged in with the Vitiosus in saber mode.

"I can!" said Makoto. "I will!"

The two passed each other by, the Exia cleaving off one of the Conviction's turrets while the Vitiosus cut the Faith's shoulder armor free.

Makoto flipped over, firing the Exia, but as though he could her mind or see the future, Erik evaded with ease and spun around, firing at the Faith. Makoto managed to narrowly evade the barrage, and swung her heat rod at the Conviction.

Erik dodged, pushing the Terminus to double output and firing with it on the heat rod, severing it where he hit. Makoto grit her teeth in frustration as she deflected fire from the Inflatus cannons and the Conviction charged in with its beam sabers.

However, before the two crossed swords again, a pair of beams lanced between them, and they turned, surprised, to see the Twilight approaching.

"_No!_" came a voice that was familiar to Makoto, far more mature than last time she'd heard the voice of the Twilight's pilot. "_She's mine!_"

"_Don't interfere, pest!_" screamed Erik, firing an Inflatus and four of his turrets at the Twilight.

* * *

The _Archangel_

The two assault ships continued to cut a swath through the ZAFT and Alliance forces, despite their current escort being limited to the Hellfire Blitz.

Suddenly, a large heat source approached, cutting through the _Dominion_'s starboard Gottfried.

"Ma'am!" said Sai. "Thirteen heat sources approaching in combat formation! Six escort ships, four battleships, two carriers and one _Archangel_-class!"

"_The _Principality_!_" exclaimed Natarle as the Alliance strike force approached. And they only had a single mobile suit for protection!

* * *

_Archangel _Hangar

"Move damn it!" said Tolle, pushing a mechanic aside as he headed for the Athena.

"Kid, you and the Athena are in no condition to be going out!" shouted Murdoch.

"I don't care!" retorted Tolle. "We need everyone and everything we've got out there or we're all finished!"

Tolle pulled himself into the Athena's cockpit and powered up the machine, moving to the catapult.

"_Tolle!_" cried Mir over the comm. line.

"You can't stop me," said Tolle. "Load the Aile Striker. I can't use the shield, but I can use the rest of it!"

Reluctantly, the crew did as he asked, and a moment later, the fully recharged—and still one-armed—Athena was ready to go.

"Tolle Koenig, Athena, launching!"

* * *

PLANT Airspace

The groups had now drifted apart somewhat. Saul was continuing his fight with the Forbidden, while Shiho went toe-to-toe with the Raider, and Yzak and Dearka ganged up on the Calamity.

Saul swung at the Forbidden's railgun, but Shani dodged and swung his scythe, forcing Saul to activate the Surge's thrusters to get away. However, Shani then fired the Hresevelgr, destroying one of Saul's swords.

Teeth grit, Saul drew one of his short swords and flipped over, charging back in at high-speed, only to be forced away as Shani opened up with the Hresvelgr and Eckzahn.

The Raider threw its hammer at the DEEP Arms, but Shiho skillfully evaded the weapon and returned fire with one of her thermal cannons. Clotho shifted his machine to mobile armor mode and evaded, before firing with his machineguns and Zorn cannon, forcing Shiho to dodge away.

The Buster and Duel were doing far better against their lone enemy. Orga grit his teeth. The Calamity's power was running low, and he didn't know how much longer his dose of Gamma Glipheptin would last either. Being more careful with his shots, he fired at the Duel, but Yzak managed to block with his shield before Orga was forced to pull away by a shot from the Buster.

Suddenly, a group of GINNs attacked the two TSA Gundams from behind. The two spun around and quickly dispatched them, but it was all Orga needed.

The Scylla cannon pierced the upper half of the Buster's torso.

An explosion rocked the Buster, and the powerplant began to overload. Dearka spun around, firing his weapons at the Calamity, and managed to destroy the left arm before the Todesblock hit the Buster's exposed powerplant.

The Buster exploded.

"DEARKA!" shouted Yzak, horrified. Orga snarled, firing the Scylla at the Duel.

Teeth grit in pure rage a thousand times greater than anything he had ever directed at the Strike, Yzak charged forward, catching the blast with his shield before the Duel was consumed in an explosion.

Orga was caught off-guard when the Duel, Assault Shroud ejected, charged from that explosion with both beam sabers in hand. Terrified, Orga tried firing all his weapons in a panic.

Yzak sliced off the Calamity's remaining arm and stabbed his other beam saber into the Scylla just before the Schlag fired, tearing away the Duel's head and shoulders and piercing its powerplant.

The two mobile suits exploded.

"YZAK!" cried Shiho and Saul in horror as the Forbidden and Raider fled towards the battling assault ships in the distance.

* * *

Elsewhere

The _Archangel_ and _Dominion_ were taking a considerable pounding. The _Principality_ had lost its portside Gottfried and a Valiant, but the other two assault ships had each lost a Gottfried, a Valiant (both in the case of the _Archangel_), half of the _Dominion_'s large missile launchers were gone, and holes had been blown into various locations along the hulls of the two ships, including one of the _Dominion_'s catapults.

However, the Alliance force had also lost both carriers, three of their battleships, and four of their escort ships. What had happened was that the ships, after taking sufficient damage, charged in for a kamikaze attack, resulting in tremendous damage to the two turncoat assault ships.

"Ugh… we won't die here!" said Murrue.

* * *

Edge of Jachin Due's Defense Zone

Two pink beam sabers met and clashed with three crimson beam sabers. Both the Raven and the Retribution looked like they had been through hell. There were dents and gashes on both mobiles suits, but still they fought on. Both machines groaned as they fought to overpower the other. Normal pilots would have retreated from the battle by now. But neither of these pilots were willing to back down. Even had their mobile suits collapsed under the strain of their battle, they would have kept on fighting.

"_I've got you now!_" said Zane, pulling the saber in the Retribution's sub arm back.

His plan was clear and obvious. With the Raven's sabers blocking the Retribution's other two sabers, that one would cut through the Raven's chest. The sub arm swung down.

"That's not going to work!" shouted Chris.

The Raven's remaining mobile armor leg folded out, the Ahura Mazda igniting as the sub arm dropped. The Raven's blade sliced through the forearm of the sub arm, the beam saber dying instantly, sparing the Raven any damage.

"See?" said Chris as he broke away from the Retribution. "Had you done that during our encounter yesterday, that probably would have worked. But now… now that won't work on me!"

Zane scowled. "_Don't think you've beaten me,_" he said. "_These two sabers will be more than enough for you._"

"Take a look at your machine," replied Chris. "It's got what, another two attacks left in it before it completely falls apart?"

"_Than take a look at your own machine,_" Zane shot back. "_I doubt you have anything beyond two attacks left. In fact, I doubt you have all that much power left in your battery, whereas I am in no danger of running out of power._"

"Maybe. Maybe not," said Chris. "Regardless, this battle is about to end. This will be our final attack."

"_Yes it is. And I've already seen the outcome. The Raven in pieces!_" roared Zane, charging at the Raven.

"I don't think so. I happen to see something very different!" shouted Chris, charging the Retribution.

The two machines struck. The Raven's left saber stabbed into the joint between the Retribution's left shoulder and body as the Retribution's left saber cut into the Raven's left shoulder, destroying it. Meanwhile, the Raven's right saber deflected the Retribution's own right saber.

Zane smirked, certain that he'd effectively won, regardless.

But the Raven had one final trick up its sleeve.

Chris released his saber, its task complete, and lashed out with the Raven's shield. The cannon barrels were severed, but he still had one last weapon.

Beam blades shot forth from the sides and front of the shield, forming a beam trident that cut away the Retribution's right arm and head.

Zane's eyes widened in surprise as the Retribution's limbs and head flew off. Before he could react, the Raven kicked the Retribution, slamming it into a large chunk of debris. Zane attempted to pull the Retribution off the debris, but the crash had caused shrapnel to become lodged in the Retribution's main thrusters, damaging them and immobilizing the machine. He looked up. The Raven was hovering over him.

"_Well? What are you waiting for?_" asked Zane, sounding strangely calm."_End it._"

Chris shook his head. "No."

"_What?! Are you insane?!_" shouted Zane. "_If you don't kill me now, I'll keep on coming after you! And I won't stop until one of us has been destroyed! You know that!_"

"Perhaps. Perhaps not," he replied. "You and I were friends once. And I hope that you and I can be friends again one day. Perhaps this act of mercy will show you that there is still some good in humanity. And I believe there is still some good in you as well."

And with that, the Raven took off, leaving the stranded Retribution. "_Coward! Come back! Come back and finish this!_" screamed Zane. "_If you don't, I'll hunt you down! I swear it! I'll destroy you!_"

* * *

Elsewhere

The three-way battle between the Faith, the Conviction and the Twilight had reached a level that practically screamed to the onlookers to stay out of it.

The Twilight charged at the Faith, only to have its beam staff cut in two. Louisa, however, spun about, severing the Faith's left arm and destroying a railgun before the smaller half of her staff died, and she wielded the remaining half as a beam saber.

The Conviction fired all of its weapons at the two close combat machines, but they broke apart, evading the attack. Makoto flipped the Exia to rifle mode and fired, knocking the Vitiosus from the Conviction's hand. Louisa, meanwhile, fired the Skorpion, piercing the Conviction's foot.

The Inflatus scorched space, destroying the Twilight's railgun, but Louisa refused to give up, firing a barrage of missiles at the Conviction that Erik gunned down.

Makoto fired her machine cannons at the Conviction, but Erik dodged and fired back with the Terminus, Makoto dodging away enough to avoid a direct hit, losing both of her Penna in the process.

Louisa charged at the Faith, intent on claiming Makoto's life for herself, but the Faith evaded her swing and the Exia flashed, cutting off the Skorpion.

The Conviction's turrets opened up, piercing hitting and scorching the Faith's wings. A missile from the Twilight hit the remaining Partis, destroying the railgun, reducing the Faith to the Exia Kai II for ranged weaponry.

Makoto dodged a swing from the Twilight, but ended up directly in the Conviction's line of sight as the Praemium fired.

"_No!_" cried the Twilight pilot in terror. "_She's mine! I won't let her go! I don't want to say goodbye to you, Makoto!_"

Makoto's eyes widened in horror as she finally recognized that voice.

* * *

_Flashback_

_Orb Union_

_Two and a half years ago_

"_No!" cried Louisa. "I don't want to go!"_

"_Oh, come on," said Makoto, smiling at her best friend. "I don't want to see you go, but it's family. It'll only be for a little while."_

"_But…" said Louisa. "But I don't want to goodbye to you, Makoto!"_

* * *

"Louisa…" breathed Makoto, unconsciously evading with the aid of the Black Box AI. The cockpit of the Twilight appeared on one of the Faith's display screens to reveal a pink-haired young woman Makoto's age with azure eyes.

"_Yes!_" said Louisa. "_You understand don't you? We can be together… forever…_"

"No…" whispered Makoto, horrified. "No… it can't be… I can't have been… I CAN'T HAVE BEEN FIGHTING YOU ALL THIS TIME!!!"

In Makoto's senses, the cockpit, the Faith, the Conviction, the Twilight, the entire battlefield, the Earth, the PLANTs… everything but the stars faded from existence, even the sun and moon. She looked at herself, her pilot suit gone to reveal her skin glowing with a bright, sacred light.

The stars twinkled in a thousand colors, and Makoto breathed softly as she leaned her head back, sticking her chest outwards as the stars began to fly towards her, gathering around a multi-colored seed of light in her heart.

Then, as they gathered into a single sphere of impossibly bright light, the seed shattered, and a nova of light and color engulfed Makoto's entire universe.

* * *

Jachin Due/PLANT Airspace

Kira, Chris, Athrun, Cagalli, Zane, Lacus, Flay, Louisa and a ZAFT commander all froze, gasping as an impossible wave of power rushed over their senses, flowing outwards from the Faith.

Many more gasped, feeling the sudden rush of power, though it was not as acute for them as it was for the eight who froze.

_Louisa…_

Images and memories rushed through Louisa's mind as the Gamma Glipheptin was eradicated from her systems. Suddenly, she remembered who she was… what had happened to her… and who she was fighting.

_Shani…_

Shani froze. Images flashed to him, but he couldn't fully understand them. But he'd been wronged… who did it? Someone close to him… or who should've been close…

The drugs were gone from his system. He could feel it… but there was no pain.

And now, knowing at least part of who he was and what had happened to him, Shani snarled in rage, resolving to tear Azrael to pieces with his bear hands.

_Clotho…_

Images filled Clotho's head, but there was no sense, no organization. It was all piled on him at once, and he couldn't truly understand it all. But like Louisa… like Shani… he now realized the truth.

The Raider followed the Forbidden towards the battling _Archangel_-class ships while Louisa, realizing Makoto's desires, also left her to fight the Conviction on her own.

The Faith, wings spread to their full breadth, thruster output at maximum, flew circles around the Conviction, moving so fast that there appeared to be dozens of the Dauntless Angel surrounding the Black Knight.

Erik fired desperately, unaware as he reached out and hit single, simple button, but he was unable to hit the Faith.

In seconds, it was all over.

The Faith's remaining Panthera flashed to life and stabbed the Conviction's chest-mounted cannon just over the cockpit, destroying the Terminus. The first Ensis was drawn, and it cut away most of the Conviction's backpack on the left side before being stabbed down through the left Inflatus and into the shoulder armor. The second Ensis followed suit, taking out the right side of the backpack and the right Inflatus and shoulder armor.

The Vesica flashed to life, severing both of the Conviction's legs and its head.

Desperately, Erik tried to fire his thrusters and flee, despite knowing the Faith was much faster. But the thrusters didn't activate, and the Phase Shift Armor suddenly faded from existence.

Warning alarms overtook the Conviction's cockpit. The nuclear reactor had been shut down.

"What…? Impossible!" said Erik before pain filled his head. Suddenly, he smiled.

"Now, Makoto," said Erik… the real one, momentarily in control of his own voice again. "End it."

"_Erik…_"

"Please…" said Erik. "Let me die as myself… not as one of those monsters."

"… _okay._"

The Exia snapped into sword mode, and the Faith flew in, swinging the sword at the Conviction. He couldn't help but think it was appropriate that the Exia would finish him.

"Thank you…" whispered Erik. "I love you, Makoto."

The Exia split the Conviction in two along a vertical line through the cockpit, killing Erik instantly as the edge cut into him and the helmetless Coordinator was exposed to the vacuum of space.

The Faith flew away, still trailing dozens of afterimages, as the Conviction exploded.

Makoto raised the visor of her helmet in order to see as tears of blood flowed from her twin orbs.

The eyes would've shocked any who looked at them. The pupils were dilated into seeming non-existence, and the irises almost completely engulfed them. The irises were also faceted, like a diamond, and shifted through countless colors, the whole spectrum of light flashing through Makoto's eyes as blood flowed from her mouth.

* * *

The _Archangel_

The battle between the turncoat assault ships and the _Principality_ had reached a standstill. All three ships were in rough shape, though the _Principality _was in better condition than its opponents. Their hulls were pitted with holes and gouges from their weapons. However, aside from the _Principality_, the entire Alliance strike force had been destroyed.

"_We've sealed off weapons bank eight,_" reported Murdoch.

"The Strike is returning," said Mir, gasping in surprise. "It's been damaged."

Murrue gasped. "Open a channel."

Mu appeared on the main screen. "_Damn that new machine of Le Creuset's,_" cursed Mu. "_I'll get him next time._"

"You can report on that later," said Murrue, pulling up her phone. "Ground crew, set up the emergency landing net! Medical staff on standby!"

One of the _Archangel_'s catapults opened for the approaching Strike.

* * *

The _Principality_

Michaels smirked as he watched the _Archangel_'s catapult open for the damaged mobile suit. The three ships continued to exchange fire, but Michaels felt he had the upper hand at the moment.

"What's the status of the Lohengrin?" he asked.

"Sir, almost ready to fire," reported the fire control officer.

"Good," said Michaels, smirking.

As the Strike approached under cover provided by the Hellfire Blitz and Athena, the _Principality_'s starboard Lohengrin emerged, aiming for the white warship.

"Ma'am! The _Principality_'s Lohengrin is being aimed at the _Archangel_!" said Pressly. Natarle and Flay gasped, Flay rushing to warn the _Archangel_ instinctively, despite knowing that they'd realize it as well.

But having stopped to pick up the Strike, the _Archangel_ had no time to evade as the Lohengrin fired.

"Evade!" shouted Murrue instinctively as the positron beam grew closer and closer.

"It's too late!" Arnold yelled back, frantically trying to move the _Archangel_ in time.

Suddenly, the Strike appeared in front of the bridge, its shield out. The beam hit the Strike's shield. But it couldn't hold the positron blast back for long. The bridge crews of the _Archangel_ and _Dominion_ could only watch in horror as the Strike's body began to fall apart under the strain. If Mu didn't move soon, the Strike would be destroyed. But if he did, the _Archangel_ would be destroyed.

"_Ha! Didn't I tell you…_" yelled Mu. "_That I could make the impossible… possible!_"

The Strike exploded, sparing the _Archangel _any damage. Everyone was stunned. Everyone was silent. Save for Murrue, who screamed out Mu's name as her tears floated from her eyes.

"Impossible…" whispered Michaels. "Target the second Lohengrin, now!"

However, as the Lohengrin emerged, a red beam of plasma flew in, bending to destroy both Lohengrin in a single shot, catching everyone off-guard. All present turned in shock to see the Forbidden, Twilight and Raider flying towards the _Principality_.

"You're terminated!" shouted Clotho, throwing the Mjollnir at the top of the _Principality_'s port leg, the powerful hammer crashing through it and emerging on the other side. The entire leg exploded.

"Die!" shouted Shani, swinging the Forbidden's scythe through the other leg, which separated entirely and exploded as well.

The Twilight flew in front of the _Principalit_y's bridge, and Louisa stared coldly, murderously at Michaels. Double checking to make sure everyone in the vicinity would hear, she spoke the last words the Blue Cosmos agent would ever hear.

"This is for my family, you son of a bitch!" she screamed, firing her Drache Schild into the _Principality_'s bridge, killing Michaels.

It wasn't over though. The Forbidden's Hresvelgr destroyed a pair of Igelstellungs while the Raider's Mjollnir crashed into the Helldart cell on the back of the bridge tower. The Twilight's missile launchers opened and fired everything they had, engulfing the warship's hull in explosions.

The second Drache Schild was shot into the top of the _Principality_'s hangar, partially melting through with its flamethrowers, but crashing inside regardless. As Shani and Clotho took off the back 'tails' of the assault ship, Louisa activated the electric generators of the Drache Schild, setting them to maximum power, not caring that it would drain all of the Twilight's power.

A storm of electricity overtook the ship, Louisa adding fire to the mix with the Drache Schild's flamethrowers.

As the Twilight's power threatened to run dry, it retracted the Drache Schild and flew away with the Forbidden and Raider as the _Principality_ exploded.

* * *

**Author's Note: Wow****… I mean****… wow****…**

******Total death count Maileesaeya introduces in a single chapter: 11 notable deaths (counting Mu as a casualty). Azrael, Mu, Juri and Mayura were all something of a given. Michaels and Basque probably didn't strike you as standing out that much. But _Yzak_? _Dearka_? Orga, Roslyn and Erik? I didn't even realize how many deaths I'd crammed in until I bothered actually counting them. If I missed someone, please tell me so that I can list them!**

******Regarding the destruction of the _Principality_: that's something I've been planning for awhile. Ever since I decided that Louisa, Shani and Clotho were the druggies I would keep alive, I resolved to show them obliterating an _Archangel_-class ship. Since Flay, Natarle and the _Dominion_ crew are good guys, I decided to switch it to the _Principality_, especially since Michaels was commanding it. Louisa avenges her family (everything we know about her points to Michaels as personally being in charge of the bombing that killed them), and Shani and Clotho take a measure of vengeance on Blue Cosmos. While I'm sure it caught some of you off-guard how those three turned against Blue Cosmos mid-battle, there's a reason for this: when Makoto awakened/activated the Cosmic SEED, she was able to stimulate their seeds somewhat, even the "unawakened" ones of Shani and Clotho, purging the Gamma Glipheptin from their bodies, and they can feel the effects****… ****and they sure as hell won't miss the lack of pain. Furthermore, since the SEED is sort of a storage device, Makoto was able to return their memories. However, because she knows Louisa, she's able to help her make sense and organize these memories, while it all came to Shani and Clotho as one big jumble that will slowly sort itself out over the year****s… ****assuming I don't kill them, anyways.**

**Also, Tolle sure is proving to be a persistent bastard****… ****one has to wonder if I'm gonna smack him for that by having Rau kill him with Providence next chapter. Seriously, even I'm not sure of it (although in this instance, I confess that I could be lying).**

******Also, note that, while powerful, the Cosmic SEED will _never_ see battle again. Although Makoto might use it in the future, she will never again employ it for mobile suit battle. For one, it isn't easy to trigger on a dime. Second****… well, you'll see it soon enough.**

**You can expect at least three more deaths next chapter. I'm sure it isn't difficult to figure out who they are.**

**Also, regarding Erik. I was gonna put in a flashback explaining what happened with him, when he discussed it with Makoto, but I couldn't figure out a good way to do it. I might, at some point in the near future, write a one-shot for it, but for now, I'm sure you'd all like an explanation. Really, it's pretty obvious, especially at this point: Erik suffers from DID (Disassociate Identity Disorder, perhaps better known as Multiple Personality Disorder). This is why he gave off such a dull appearance at the beginning, seemed a little crazy while fighting, but then, as things went on, became more normal. His battles with Makoto ended up helping him to suppress his personalities. While one or two were "friendly", the rest of them were as insane as everyone else in Erik's family. Also, I did conceive Erik _before_ watching Gundam 00, so the DID was not related to Allelujah/Hallelujah. However, his ability to combine the awareness of his personalities to achieve a "super soldier/newtype/whatever" state _was_ inspired by Allelujah/Hallelujah.**

**Alright, enough of this. I enjoyed the outpouring of reviews last chapter, so please, give me another swarm of reviewer e-mail!**

**Also, again, vote on the poll for favorite OMS if you haven't already! At this point, it's probably meaningless, but who knows. One vote can make all the difference.**

**Okay, again, please review!**** Say****ōnara!**


	39. Final Phase: Towards an Endless Tomorrow

**The grand finale. The final confrontation. I'll say it now: interpret final words and events however you choose, for I will not be clarifying, and there will be no A/N at the bottom. The final battle of good versus evil—the confrontation of the Angel of Freedom and the Harbinger of Destruction—begins. Lives will be lost… battles will end****…**** and the great and terrible war will come to its long-awaited conclusion.**

******In this moment, in this chapter, we find the long anticipated conclusion of _Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Dauntless_. Hearts will be broken, lives will be altered, yet through it all, hope will always stay strong.**

******Enjoy****…**

* * *

Final Phase: Towards an Endless Tomorrow

September 27th, C.E. 71

Second Battle of Jachin Due, Concluding Battle of the First Bloody Valentine War

* * *

The _Eternal_

The battle around Jachin Due had intensified even more. The Alliance forces had smashed through most of the outer ZAFT lines and were battling the rear defense forces that were protecting the space fortress itself.

But they weren't the only ones. The battered Alaric Team, formerly of ZAFT, had managed to slice through a section of the ZAFT line, opening a path for the _Eternal_ and the _Kusanagi_ to fire on GENESIS. But they had paid for it. Besides the loss of Basque and the _Einherjar_, the _Odin_ had sustained heavy damage to its port side, with several large breaches in its hull on that side. The _Valkyrie_ had lost its main cannon and had even more breaches in its hull. Added to this, over half of their mobile suits had been shot down.

"I demand that ZAFT stop firing GENESIS!" said Lacus as the _Eternal_ and the _Kusanagi _reached the Alaric Team. "We've all experienced the pain and sorrow of nuclear attacks and yet now we are trying to do the same thing to them. If we fire that weapon, will it heal anything? If we kill more people who have done nothing wrong, is that justice? Do you still not realize what these attacks on each other are giving birth to? Do we want even more sacrifices?"

* * *

Elsewhere

Kira, Athrun and Cagalli raced towards Jachin Due and GENESIS, listening grimly to Lacus's broadcast. Athrun desperately hoped he could still reason with his father; make him see the truth of what he was doing, before it was too late. But regardless of the outcome, Kira and the others were going to destroy GENESIS.

Suddenly, Kira felt something. Something was wrong. He knew he had to check it out. Kira turned and headed off towards the source of the feeling.

"_Kira!_" Cagalli called out as he left.

"Athrun. Take care of Cagalli. Something's wrong here," he replied.

* * *

The _Archangel_

Though the _Principality_ had been destroyed by the three turncoat Gundams, the _Archangel_ and _Dominion_ had already paid a heavy price for the battle. Their hulls had been pierced in numerous locations, most of their weapons were destroyed or disabled, and there were a number of fires raging within the two mighty ships.

"Blocks 125 through 144 closed!" reported Sai.

"Thrust is reduced to fifty percent!" said Arnold, trying to keep the ship steady.

"Thirty-three percent of sensors have been damaged!" added Mir.

But Murrue wasn't in any condition to give orders. She sat in her chair crying.

Samuel rose up from the CIC. "We need to stop the fires now," he said, absently hearing Natarle giving similar orders on the _Dominion_. "Before they inflict more damage to the ship. Tell Murdoch to seal off the sections that are on fire and vent the air out. Once the fires are out and the air has been vented back in, they need to get the engines up and running."

"Ah… yes sir," said Sai, rushing to carry out his order.

* * *

Meanwhile

Rau was shocked to see the _Archangel_ and _Dominion_ fighting side-by-side, and was even more surprised by the wreckage of the Strike. Distantly, he realized that he'd wanted Mu to survive, and he was disappointed that his nemesis was gone.

He glanced at the debris field left behind by the _Principality_, then looked back to the _Dominion_ and shook his head.

"Oh Azrael…" he said. "What a disappointment you were."

Azrael could have at least taken a few of the PLANTs with him. But no matter. After GENESIS was fired at Earth, the surviving Earth bases on the moon would strike back with every last nuke they had.

Rau approached the _Archangel_. The legged ship had been a thorn in his side for too long. He'd deal with it first, then finish the _Dominion_.

"That mobile suit…" said Shani.

"_That looks like…_" said Tolle. He and Nicol had managed to shake off their surprise, and were merely content with the realization that they wouldn't be fighting those three Gundams again. After learning of Azrael's demise, along with the doctors from Lodonia, Louisa had proceeded back to the _Dominion_ for maintenance and resupply.

"_It's another nuclear-powered machine!_" said Nicol, the similarities to other ZAFT Gundams they'd seen too obvious to miss.

"_Damn!_" said Clotho as he, Shani, Nicol and Tolle opened up on the new machine.

The Providence dodged and fired back with his Judicium rifle. However, Shani and Nicol rushed forward, lowering their anti-beam defenses to deflect and absorb the attacks. Rau smirked, and deployed his DRAGOONs, attacking the group from all sides.

As he did so, he felt something. A presence he had only felt once before. Not Mu, Suiren or Rey.

Kira. The Freedom flew in, METEOR beam cannons blazing, forcing Rau to evade. But he didn't let up his assault on the four defenders, even as Kira activated one of his beam swords and swung it at the Providence.

The Raider desperately swung its Mjollnir hammer to deflect some shots with the wire, but was then shot from behind, its head and left arm blown off at the elbow, along with both wings.

The Athena desperately tried to evade and shoot down the DRAGOONs, but Tolle had no more luck than anyone else. A beam pierced his rifle, and he responded by drawing a beam saber, only for his remaining arm to be destroyed, followed by the Aile Striker itself.

The Forbidden's shields blocked a few shots, and Shani's curving plasma beams nearly took out one of the smaller DRAGOON pods, but soon, Rau targeted the arms connecting the shields to the backpack, before a large DRAGOON charged in and fired almost point-blank on the Hresvelgr, causing the entire backpack to explode.

The Hellfire Blitz had more luck, its defenses less vulnerable than those of the Forbidden, but Nicol quickly lost his Shi no Hashi, the only ranged weapon on his machine, and the fire from the DRAGOONs was quickly draining his machine's battery, and one DRAGOON blew off the unprotected head of the mobile suit, shattering Nicol's main camera.

Fortunately for them, Rau was able to go no further, as he was forced to pull the DRAGOONs back to combat the Freedom.

"Not you again," he said.

The DRAGOON pods spread out, firing on the Freedom. Kira pulled a quick series of rolls, twists and dives, evading the beams before firing the METEOR's missiles at the Providence. But the DRAGOONs quickly repositioned themselves and fired, creating a field of beams in front of the Providence, sparing it from harm.

"_You're nothing but an irritant! A pest!_" shouted Rau, firing his rifle.

A lone beam hit the METEOR's right cannon, forcing Kira to discard it before it exploded. But before the fireball had faded, Rau lunged at Kira with his beam saber ignited. Kira pulled up the remaining cannon, blocking the blade. Though he lost the cannon, the Freedom was spared any damage.

The DRAGOON pods let loose a barrage on the Freedom. Kira, somehow, barely managed to evade them. But before he could retaliate, Rau fired at him.

"_You're something that shouldn't have been allowed to exist, boy!_" he shouted as Kira evaded his shots.

Kira fired his remaining missiles at the Providence, forcing Rau and his DRAGOONs to stop their attack on him, so they could shoot down the missiles. But they didn't last long. Kira fired the Freedom's railguns and cannons and the remaining cannons on the METEOR at Rau. But he effortlessly dodged them and returned fire with his pods.

"_If people learned of your existence, they would want to be just as you are. They would want to become like you!_" he ranted as Kira struggled just to avoid the numerous beams surrounding him.

A beam hit the METEOR's right wing, destroy its cannon and empty missile launcher. Desperate, Kira drew his beam sabers and started deflecting as many of the beams as he could.

"_And that's the reason why your existence cannot be allowed!_" shouted Rau as a DRAGOON hit one of the METEOR's engines.

"I'm not…" said Kira, dodging the DRAGOON beams. "Even if that's true… I'm not defined by my abilities alone!"

The crews of the Archangel and Dominion heard the conversation. Most of it made no sense to them, but both Natarle and Flay were shocked. They knew that voice!

Kira fired at a cluster of DRAGOON pods with his remaining guns. But the pods were too fast, moving out of the line of fire before the beams could hit them, then returning fire.

"_Who's going to believe that line?! Will they understand that?!_" shouted Rau as they continued to exchange fire. "_Of course they won't! Nobody will!_"

Rau lunged at Kira's side. Kira pulled out of the path, but his METEOR ended up taking the hit.

"It doesn't matter!" said Kira. "I believe in the future!"

"_Ridiculous!_" said Rau, pulling back, and aiming his rifle at the bridge of the _Dominion_, shocking everyone.

On the bridge of that ship, both pilots could see Flay Allster. Kira drove the METEOR forward, detaching from it as the engines began to overload and the DRAGOONs opened up with everything they had on it, Kira now flying full speed for the _Dominion_'s bridge.

Rau laughed as he took aim at the front of the black assault ship's bridge.

"_Miss Allster,_" he said. "_You've done quite well. Allow me to give you your reward!_"

Kira pushed the Freedom to its limit. He wasn't about to let a repeat of the shuttle tragedy from so long ago happen. Rau fired his rifle at the _Dominion_. Just before the beam could hit, Kira pulled out his shield, moving in front of the bridge. The beam hit the shield, sparing the ship from harm.

But then he saw it: a DRAGOON pod moving into a firing position over the bridge. There wasn't time for him to do anything…

The DRAGOON pod fired. But a miracle occurred.

The Raven appeared between the bridge and the pod and pulled up its shield. The beam stuck the Raven's shield, destroying his shield and what remained of the railgun but sparing the people on the _Dominion_'s bridge.

Chris breathed a sigh of relief as the low power warning alarm sounded in the cockpit. The Raven was finished for this battle. But he had saved Flay, so it didn't matter. It was up to Kira, Makoto and the others to stop Le Creuset and GENESIS now.

"_Pathetic,_" said Rau. "_Even with a nuclear powered machine, Zane lost to you. I had thought that the Retribution would have given him the power to destroy you once and for all, even with that new awareness you've achieved. It's not like he didn't possess it himself, once he overcame the blocks._"

"He underestimated me. And that's why he lost," Chris shot back as he moved in front of the bridge. "Just as you are about lose."

Rau started to laugh. "_It doesn't matter if you two somehow manage to kill me! I've already won!_" he shouted. "_Humanity has brought us to this path! With their ignorance! Their greed! Their jealousy! Their hatred! Why, man is worse than animals! They're monsters pretending to be civilized!_"

"You're wrong, you masked freak! People aren't like that!" Chris shouted back. "People are flawed, but most aren't like that! Most just wish to live decent life! It's people like you that are evil! Those few that are filled with nothing but hatred! You're the monsters! Not humanity!"

Rau growled. "_It's time to do what should have been done at Mendel years ago!_" he said. "_You… Both of you are abominations! Brought into this world as the goals of madmen and at the expense of others! But don't worry… it won't be just the two of you for long. I'll send your sister to join you soon enough!_"

Rau aimed the Providence's rifle at the Raven and fired, but Kira pulled the Freedom in front of it, blocking the shots with his shield.

But that was what Rau wanted. A pair of pods rose up from behind the two mobile suits and fired at the Freedom. Kira turned but it was too late. There wasn't enough time for him to dodge or block the shots…

Suddenly, the Raven slammed into the Freedom, pushing it out of the path of the beams. The shots tore through the Raven's upper chest and right arm, severing the arm. The Raven's Phase Shift flickered briefly before it shut off. Electricity surged in and around the hole in Raven's chest and the stump of its right arm. The Raven was finished. They all knew it.

"_And so ends one abomination,_" said Rau triumphantly as the Raven and Freedom floated away from the _Dominion_.

"_Kira… it's not your fault! Stop him!_" said Chris as the Raven started to explode. His only regret was not getting to see Flay one last time. "_Tell Flay I lov–_"

The Raven and Freedom were consumed in a ball of fire as the midnight blue Gundam exploded.

"NO!" screamed Kira.

The Providence's DRAGOONs returned and it took off. Rau laughed as he left. The Raven was gone and chances were that the Freedom had been damaged in that explosion and wouldn't be chasing after him any time soon.

"Now to deal with Lacus Clyne," he said. "And then… I suppose you're my final confrontation then, Makoto Taiyonoha?"

* * *

The _Dominion_

Flay smiled as she saw Kira, in the winged mobile suit block the beam of the mobile suit from her nightmare. Somehow, she knew how their battle would end. Then the Raven appeared. It was damaged but for the first time, in a long time, Flay felt truly safe. But her smile quickly disappeared when the Raven pushed Kira's machine out of the path of a pair of beams. The Raven's armor turned off as it started to shake violently. Then she heard the words over the radio. The words she would never forget for the rest of her life.

"_Kira… it's not your fault! Stop him! Tell Flay I lov–_"

An instant later, the Raven was consumed in a ball of fire along with Kira's mobile suit. At that moment, Flay froze. The outside world seemed to become nonexistent, save for herself and the fireball that destroyed the Raven. It couldn't be possible… Chris couldn't be dead… It couldn't be real…

But it was.

The outside world returned. Flay screamed out Chris's name, tears pouring out of her eyes as she slammed her fists on the console in front of her and the crew of the _Dominion_ looked on in shock.

* * *

The _Archangel_

Murrue, Samuel, and the rest of the bridge crew could only watch the distant lights of battle from the Freedom and its unknown opponent. As much as they wanted to, they were in no condition to support Kira.

"Archangel_!_ Archangel_, this is Saul!_" came the voice of the Surge's pilot as it and the DEEP Arms approached the ship. "_Are you alright?_"

"Saul? Where are Dearka and Yzak?" asked Mir.

"_They're…_" said Saul. These would be the most painful words he ever spoke. "_They're dead._"

His words shocked the _Archangel_ crew into horrified silence. No…

"NO!" cried Mir, slamming her fists on the communication console in front of her. "Dearka…"

Suddenly, there was an explosion from where Kira was fighting.

"_What was that?_" asked Saul as he and Shiho pulled alongside the _Archangel_.

Mir didn't reply, or notice the sound coming from her console, but Sai did, looking at it. He gasped.

"The Raven…" he said. "The Raven's signal is gone!"

* * *

Meanwhile

The Freedom was thrown downwards from the force of the Raven's explosion. But Kira quickly stopped the Freedom's fall and took off for Jachin Due, his eyes dilated and his face barely containing the anger and sorrow he felt.

Behind him, the crews of the two assault ships did what they could to regain control, while Saul and Shiho tried to make sense of what was going on and why the vessels were fighting alongside one another with three of the _Dominion_'s Gundams, two of whom they'd been fighting when the Calamity was destroyed with the Duel and Buster.

* * *

Elsewhere

"_Get back, it's a dem—ARGH!_" cried a GuAIZ pilot as his machine was obliterated.

The Faith was tearing apart anything in the way of its path to GENESIS. Makoto didn't know how many lives she'd claimed, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was stopping that thing, one way or another.

But there was a problem. The Faith, between the earlier damage and the strain of maintaining maximum speed for so long, was beginning to fall apart.

"You're too slow, Faith!" said Makoto as she shot down a dozen more mobile suits and warships in rapid succession, all power normally reserved for her plethora of weapons infused into the Exia Kai.

As she was now, Makoto was too much for her machine. Even the Faith couldn't keep up with the sheer level to which Makoto's reflexes had been enhanced. Kira, she knew, would be facing a similar problem with the Freedom as he continued to develop his abilities. They needed a more responsive machine.

But all of that mattered little to Makoto at the moment, as GENESIS came into sight… and a horde of GuAIZs, led by GuAIZ Experimental Firearms Types, moved to intercept the blindingly fast Gundam.

* * *

PLANT Airspace

"For the Preservation of Our Blue and Pure World!" shouted Christian, his words echoed by the mobile armor pilots as all of them let loose with their nuclear missiles. Christian was absolutely gleeful. Nothing could stop them this time! Nothing!

Nothing, it turned out, also had weapons, though.

Beams tore through several missiles, causing them to explode, before clusters of missiles crashed into the rest. Christian and the other terrorists looked up, and were surprised to see a small group of gold-colored GuAIZs and an odd-looking silver-GuAIZ that was docked with one of those weapons platforms the Freedom and Justice used. Snarling in rage at yet another failed attack—how many times could they possibly stop the nukes?!—Christian opened fire, the mobile armor pilots suicidally charging in with nothing but vulcan cannons to combat the enemy with.

The GuAIZs and weapons platform swiftly dispatched the mobile armors before retreating.

"DON'T YOU DARE RUN AWAY FROM ME!" roared Christian, trying to give chase, only to be cut off by a pair of red beams. He twisted, looking at the source… and saw the Guardian in its mobile armor mode, a pair of cannon-rifles mounted on its body, charging straight at him before shifting to mobile suit mode, the rifles combining into a single twin rifle.

Snarling, Christian snatched his Fenrir and charged the Guardian, weapons blazing. The Guardian evaded and fired a single precision shot the pierced his right Fenrir. Enraged, Christian drew a beam saber with that hand, while Liz coupled her twin rifle with her shield and drew one of her own beam sabers.

The two crossed sabers, but had barely gone ten meters before spinning around and locking swords.

"You bitch!" shouted Christian. "This is for the good of all humanity! The Coordinators must die!"

"_We're humans too!_" snarled Liz. "_You destroyed my home! I grew up on Junius Seven! My friends, my family! All of them, wiped out by your petty hatred!_"

"It has nothing to do with hatred!" said Christian, pushing away. "I'm sorry for your loss, and I'll pay for my sins, but not before I finish what I started! Not before I remove the Coordinators! Your kind are an abomination! An affront to nature! An act of defiance against the Creator!"

"_Now you see, this is why I hate religious fanatics!_" said Liz, firing her rifle at the Deliverance. Christian dodged and returned fire with a cluster of missiles. Liz fired her rifle in cannon mode before bringing down the remaining missiles with her Igelstellungs. "_You try to use your beliefs in God to justify mass-slaughter! That isn't what your 'God' is supposed to be about!_"

"Don't act like you understand, Dante!" said Christian, shooting down a cluster of grenades and firing his Fenrir at the Guardian. "If people had just listened, if more people had simply understood and put aside greed and desire, none of this would've happened! You'd have been born a Natural, a true human in the eyes of God! You'd have grown up happy, without this war, and your family wouldn't be dead right now!"

"_Don't we all strive for a better tomorrow?_" said Liz, shifting to mobile armor mode and evading the Deliverance's gatling fire. "_That's why we Coordinators existed! The Naturals created us, and we hoped that, together, we could build a better future!_"

"But that's not how it happened!" said Christian, chasing the Guardian before pulling back as rear-firing beam guns opened up on him. "Because of the sins you Coordinators represent, because of your abominable nature, twisted from the work of the Creator, humanity became divided, and the bloody world of today came into being!"

"_It came into being because of envy, hatred and arrogance!_" said Liz. "_And what makes you so sure you understand God? Have you seen it? Can you really believe the claims of those that say they bear messages from God? There's no definitive form of the Bible because the men who created it did it for control, and it was a work of man, not God! There's nothing wrong with believing today, but the origins were rooted in a lust for power, the sort of thing you want to destroy Coordinators for!_"

"SHUT UP!" roared Christian, firing more missiles on the Guardian. Liz dodged or shot these down, then charged in at the Deliverance, shifting to mobile suit mode, and locking sabers with Christian once more. "Don't you dare insult my faith like that!"

"_Why should we have faith in an entity that we can't prove exists?!_" demanded Liz as the two broke away. "_In an entity that has never been proven to have done anything for us! Don't you get it? We humans… whether our genes have been modified or not… we need to have faith in ourselves and each other!_"

"Allegiance should be paid to our Creator before all else!" said Christian, firing his Reavers at the Guardian, which shifted to mobile armor mode and dodged away. "I have felt God in my heart, and I know that, though my sins be great and my punishment far greater, everything I have done is a Crusade of Holy Justice!"

The two backed away, now merely staring at each other.

"_At the very least… I suppose you truly believe in this,_" said Liz at last. "_But… I can't forgive you._"

"It's not your place to forgive," said Christian understandingly, and perhaps sympathetically. "And I don't deserve it either. If I am to be shot down by you… then this place would be… appropriate."

The battle between the two mobile suits had drifted to an empty area of space between the PLANTs of Junius Six and Junius Eight.

The place where Junius Seven had once stood.

"Let's end this," said Christian. His missiles were gone, and so, he opened up with his gatlings as the Guardian charged at him.

"For Junius Seven!" cried Liz, shifting to mobile suit mode, twin rifle in hand

The Deliverance charged in, ceasing its barrage, Christian swinging his saber at the Guardian. Liz backed off, casting away her shield and drawing a beam saber with her left hand, but Christian was faster, cutting away the Guardian's left arm at the elbow.

The Guardian tumbled away, turning to face the Deliverance as Christian aimed his Fenrir, ready to finish this.

The Guardian raised its rifle and fired, the massive beam consuming the Deliverance's left arm.

Liz shifted to mobile armor mode and charged forward. Before Christian could react, the Guardian crashed into the Deliverance, its front piercing the cockpit and impaling Christian.

"Heh…" hacked Christian, coughing blood. "So… this is the end… for me…"

The Guardian's cannons fired, and Liz shifted to mobile suit mode, escaping and kicking the Deliverance away, fleeing as the mobile suit exploded.

And maybe, just maybe, the two hundred thousand souls that had died here would rest easier now.

Then again, perhaps they wouldn't, knowing that their deaths had still wrought the conflict that was ending around their homeland.

* * *

The _Eternal_

"GENESIS is entering firing range!" announced the fire control officer.

"Even Phase Shift isn't invincible!" said Andy. "Fire!"

The guns of the _Eternal_, the _Kusanagi_, the _Odin_ and the _Valkyrie_ all fired everything they had, even the _Kusanagi_'s powerful Lohengrin. Every shot found their mark on the side of GENESIS.

But the attack didn't even scratch the surface.

"Oh for… we're in real trouble now," said Andy.

* * *

Jachin Due Control Room

Patrick scowled at the TSA's feeble attempts to destroy GENESIS.

"Those ships are being run by a little girl and a bunch of Naturals and traitors! Why haven't we destroyed them yet?!" he demanded.

No one answered him. Much of the operators and officers in the room were becoming less than willing to follow his orders. What was the point of firing GENESIS again? The surviving Alliance forces wouldn't be enough to destroy Jachin Due's forces. They had won. So why fire it again?

Patrick grit his teeth at the silence. "Input targeting data! North America continent, east coast."

"But sir!" said Commander Yuki.

* * *

The _Eternal_

A display came up on Shizuka's screen, causing her to gasp in surprise.

"Serenity, it's the Faith!" she said. An image came on the screen suddenly, and everyone was shocked to see dozens of explosions engulfing a small area of space.

And in the middle of those vicious explosions was a streaking angel of silver-white, dozens of afterimages trailing in its wake.

"But that's… that's impossible," gasped Andy. "The Faith's maximum speed… how can she survive that?"

And it was obvious Makoto wasn't dead yet, as more and more explosions continued to consume mobile suit upon mobile suit.

"Message from the Faith's AI," said Shizuka, putting it on the display screen.

_Structural integrity of the frame, compromised._

_Thrusters, compromised._

_Nuclear reactor, compromised._

_Reactor power output exceeding maximum limits._

_Unable to keep up. Makoto is destroying the Faith._

"_What?_" questioned Diana. "_What does it mean she's destroying the Faith?_"

"Is this…" said Lacus, drawing attention to her. "Is this that power from earlier?"

Suddenly, the Justice and Strike Rouge approached.

"_We'll force our way into Jachin and destroy the controls for GENESIS,_" said Athrun, detaching from his METEOR and racing for Jachin Due itself alongside Cagalli. "_It may be the only way to stop them._"

"_Kano, Kikuchi, use your M1s to cover Miss Cagalli!_" ordered Kisaka.

"_Sir._"

"_Hilda! Take your team and back them up!_" added Lisa.

"_Roger._"

Two Astrays and three GuAIZs quickly moved alongside the Justice and the Strike Rouge, heading for Jachin Due.

"Commander! Incoming mobile suit!" shouted Martin. "Blue Fifty-Two Charlie."

"It's a shame, really. I did enjoy your songs," said Rau, approaching the _Eternal_. "But the real world isn't as kind as the one in pop songs!"

His DRAGOON pods deployed, firing upon the Three Ships Alliance forces. Though Rau didn't fire on the ships yet, he did destroy virtually all of the remaining Astrays and GuAIZs. John, Victor and Diana managed to evade, while Asagi escaped death by detaching her M1's flight unit and shielding herself with it. However, Lisa and Ajay were both hit, barely managing to achieve only crippling damage in favor of destruction, while Lucius's GuAIZ received critical damage.

Fortunately, Lucius was able to punch open the hatch and push off, Asagi grabbing hold of him and pulling him away as the Tyr II exploded.

Suddenly, Rau felt that presence again. Kira roared, firing his beam rifle on the Providence, forcing Rau to stop his attack on the _Eternal_ and focus on the Freedom.

"It's all your fault!" yelled Kira, still firing on the Providence. "You're the one to blame!"

Rau fired the Providence's guns at the Freedom as his DRAGOONs fired. But Kira dodged the beams and shot down two of pods, catching Rau by surprise, though it was well concealed. Kira was… different, now.

"_Shout all you want, but it's too late now!_" shouted Rau, firing on the Freedom with his rifle and shield-mounted guns.

Kira skillfully evaded the attacks and moved behind the Providence as Rau moved forward.

"Die!" said Kira, firing his beam rifle. Fortunately for Rau, a DRAGOON moved between the two suits, intercepting the beam and preventing it from hitting the Providence in the back.

Rau spun, activating the saber in his shield and lunging at the Freedom. Kira drew his own beam saber and the two blades clashed.

"_This is our destiny!_" ranted Rau. "_People knew where they were heading when they choose to walk this path!_"

"Shut up!" said Kira.

"_Justice and faith, ignorance and escapism! They never learn! They never listen!_" continued Rau. "_We have reached the end of that path. There's no way to prevent it now!_" The two mobile suits broke off. "_Mankind vanquished! At last! Just as they deserve!_"

All of Rau's remaining DRAGOONs fired at the Freedom, but Kira wove through the beams or deflected them with his beam saber as he flew for the Providence.

"I won't allow it!" he said.

* * *

Jachin Due Control Room

"What's the delay? Hurry!" said Patrick. "It'll be over when we finish this."

"Mr. Chairman, we've already won the battle!" objected Yuki. "Sir, if we fire, we'll wipe out half the life on Earth! There have already been enough sacrifices!"

A gunshot suddenly echoed through the control room, shocking everyone. In Patrick's hand was the still-smoking pistol that had just shot Yuki.

* * *

The _Archangel_

"Where's the Freedom?" asked Murrue as the _Archangel_ and _Dominion_ headed for GENESIS at best speed with their escorts.

That escort consisted of only two mobile suits: the Twilight and the Hellfire Blitz. Although the Twilight was near full power, it only had half of its normal payload of missiles, and the Vertilgung and Skorpion hadn't been repaired. The Blitz, meanwhile, was still low on power, and was mostly to support the Twilight till the others were ready to re-launch. A rush job had been done, moving the head of the Athena to the Blitz.

"I don't know!" said Mir. "And I can't find the other ships! The _Dominion_ hasn't had any luck either!"

"Kira…" whispered Sai, staring out at Jachin Due and GENESIS.

* * *

Near Jachin Due

The Freedom flew through a storm of beam fire, deflecting a few shots with its shield before spinning around and shooting down another DRAGOON.

"You're crazy, and so is your logic!" said Kira.

"_That's how people think! You know it!_" replied Rau.

"No way!" said Kira, firing all of the Freedom's cannons at the Providence. Rau dodged, but one of his large DRAGOON pods was destroyed.

"You're wrong!" said Kira. "People aren't like that at all!"

Kira dodged fire from a cluster DRAGOONs, which broke apart as he returned fire. The Providence flew into the space they'd occupied, firing its beam rifle repeatedly at the Freedom.

"_Ha! How are they not like that?! What's your proof?!_" demanded Rau. "_This is a world where people's hearts are filled with hatred! Where fingers have no purpose other than to pull triggers!_" A shot from a DRAGOON pierced the Freedom's right leg, destroying it, but Kira largely ignored the damage. "_What do you believe in? And why do you?_"

Rau fired his rifle and shield guns at the Freedom. Kira dodged the shots from the shield, and intercepted the blast from the rifle, releasing his shield as he did so. Kira drew a beam saber and charged the Providence.

"You don't understand anything else!" he yelled, swinging the saber down on the Providence, which ignited its own saber, the two clashing once more.

"_Of course!_" shouted Rau. "_After all, people can only understand what they've experienced!_" The two pushed off, and Rau's DRAGOONs swarmed in on the Freedom once more.

Kira remembered everything that had ever been said about the differences between Coordinators and Naturals… but he also remembered all the good things he'd seen, remembered the times on the _Archangel_, the fight for Orb, and, perhaps most of all, Makoto's birthday when many near-total strangers, Naturals and Coordinators alike, even with the Naturals recognizing the Coordinators as people they'd been fighting, set aside all differences and celebrated together, not as Naturals and Coordinators, but as humans. No more… and no less.

It only served to strengthen Kira's resolve.

"_Why torment yourself? Saying, 'eventually, someday'?!_" demanded Rau. "_How long have you been fighting with your thoughts clouded by that brand of sweet poison?_"

* * *

Jachin Due Control Room

"They're right there! Our enemies are still out there! Why would you even suggest that we not fire it?!" ranted Patrick as everyone stared at him. "We must fire it again! Before they have a chance to retaliate, the enemy must be annihilated! Why won't you all understand that?!"

As Patrick spoke, he pushed one of the operators from his console and started typing away.

"Your Excellency! Our forces are still in the line of fire!" said an officer.

"All of our soldiers are fighting for one thing: victory!" shouted Patrick. "I'm sure they're prepared to pay the cost!"

"Sir!" objected the officer as Yuki weakly reached into his coat and pulled out his own pistol, aiming it at Zala.

"You… bastard…" he said weakly. Patrick looked over at him just as he pulled the trigger, the bullet hitting its mark.

He fired three times, each bullet hitting Patrick's chest. Patrick let out a liquid gurgle as his body floated backwards. Yuki let out one last gasp of breath before he died. By now, confusion and horror filled the ranks of the ZAFT personnel. Many began to abandon their positions.

At that moment, Athrun, Cagalli and their comrades entered the command center. The sight of a group of armed soldiers broke the courage and morale of the remaining ZAFT officers. Everyone fled, leaving only those seven pilots and the dying Patrick Zala.

A horrified Athrun rushed to his father's side. He may not have been a doctor, but Athrun knew his father was dying. And there was nothing, he or anyone else could do.

Gently, Athrun and Cagalli pushed Patrick down to the ground.

Patrick grasped his son's shoulder. "Athrun… don't let… Junius Seven happen again," he choked. "You… must…" Patrick coughed blood and the life faded from his eyes.

Tears began to well up in Athrun's eyes. "Father!"

* * *

Jachin Due Airspace

Ships and mobile suits flew out of Jachin Due. But rather than heading to intercept any of the remaining enemy forces, they began to move towards the PLANTs, and transports soon became visible amongst them, sowing confusion across the ZAFT ranks and the small handful of surviving Alliance soldiers.

The _Archangel_ and _Dominion_ pulled up alongside the other survivors of the TSA fleet, catching many off-guard with the presence of the black warship. Even more surprising was the presence of the Twilight, Forbidden and Raider. Although the latter two were in bad condition, the Raider missing an arm and using a quickly scavenged Strike Dagger head while the Forbidden's entire backpack was missing, Shani and Clotho had both gone out due to the severe lack of mobile suit fighting strength they were suffering from. Accompanying them were the Surge and DEEP Arms, possibly in the best condition of all their remaining mobile suits, save the Justice and Strike Rouge.

"_Where are Kira and the others?_" asked Murrue.

No one answered her. Lacus stared at the retreating ZAFT forces.

"Are they actually abandoning Jachin Due? And GENESIS?" she questioned.

* * *

Jachin Due Control Room

Athrun didn't have time to mourn his father. At that moment, a timer appeared on all of the consoles in the command center, and a shocked Athrun studied it quickly with the members of the Speartip team.

"Athrun?" questioned Cagalli.

"They've activated a self-destruct sequence," said Athrun. "When Jachin blows up, it'll trigger GENESIS." Athrun and the Speartip team worked quickly to try and override it, but none of them had Saul, Kira, or even Makoto's level of skill with hacking, programming, and computers in general.

"This isn't going to work," said Athrun, glancing at his father's body. "I think it's too far along to be stopped."

* * *

ZAFT Military Headquarters

Ezalia Joule and everyone else in the command center were stunned by what was happening. The forces around Jachin Due were in disarray. And the fortress itself was being evacuated. Added to this, they had lost contact with the Chairman.

Suddenly, the command center's main doors opened. A group of ZAFT and Earth Alliance soldiers entered the room, their rifles leveled at the group. Ian Kessel and Eileen Canaver entered the room.

"Hello Ezalia. We're here to take back control," said Ian.

* * *

Near GENESIS

Kira flew through more DRAGOON fire, evading the much lighter fire with comparative ease. Sensing one DRAGOON flying up behind him, he spun around, snapping his right Xiphias into place, and fired, destroying the pod. The Freedom pulled upwards, dodging fire from the Providence.

"_Heheheheh hahahaha! No matter what happens now, I've won!_" yelled Rau in triumph. "_When Jachin self-destructs, GENESIS will fire!_" Kira gasped, and the two flew by each other, clashing beam sabers several times. "_There's no way the process can be stopped. Earth will burn! And the ensuing cries of the victims will trigger battle anew!_"

"It can't…" gasped Kira.

* * *

Three Ships Alliance Fleet

"Captain! It's the Guardian!" said Mir. Everyone was relieved as the image of the Guardian's mobile armor form came up on their screens. However, the Gundam was a dull grey color, and it was moving much slower than usual. Its combat power had been drained.

The Guardian shifted to mobile suit mode.

"_What's going on?_" asked Liz, staring at the _Dominion_ and its three mobile suits.

"Natarle dealt with Azrael and the nuclear carriers," said Murrue. "Don't worry, they're on our side."

"_Okay… how is everyone? Where are Chris and Makoto?_" asked Liz. The others tensed.

"_Makoto's fine… for now,_" answered Shizuka. "_But Chris…_"

"_Liz…_" came Flay's voice. "_Chris is… Chris is dead._"

Liz gasped in shock as the Guardian floated into the _Archangel_'s hangar.

* * *

Elsewhere

The Exia flashed through yet another mobile suit. Even in her enhanced state of awareness and mental prowess, Makoto had no idea how many she'd killed this battle. A thousand? Two thousand? Probably many, many more, when she struggled to remember the number of warships she'd destroyed.

GENESIS, Makoto knew, would be aimed at Earth now. She had to do whatever she could to stop it, but even the Cosmic SEED didn't give her the power to stop it all on its own, nor the power to remove the obstacles these GuAIZs presented.

The Faith didn't have the power to destroy GENESIS itself. But she could stop it from firing on Earth. If she could reach the alignment mirror, the Vesica could destroy it, and the gamma radiation couldn't be reflected back to the main mirror.

But there was so… damn… many!

The Exia switched to standby mode and Makoto snatched the Vesica, activating it in an overdrive state that generated a sword nearly comparable to the METEORs, which cut even more swiftly through Makoto's foes, including the powering down GuAIZ EFTs.

* * *

Port of Jachin Due

The Justice, Strike Rouge, two M1 Astrays, and a trio of GuAIZs flew out of the port of Jachin Due. The Justice quickly broke away from the rest, heading for GENESIS, the Strike Rouge following.

"_What are you planning to do?_" asked Cagalli.

"I'll blow up the Justice and create a nuclear explosion," said Athrun, flying for GENESIS. On the way, the two passed right between the battling Freedom and Providence, but Rau, fortunately, ignored them.

"Athrun! Cagalli!" called Kira, but his attention was quickly forced back to Rau.

"_This will be a day of reckoning for everyone!_" said Rau as a storm of beam fire filled space around the two battling Gundams.

A beam hit the Freedom's right shoulder, blowing away the armor, but Kira ignored it.

"I won't allow it!" he said, firing his beam rifle. He hit the left shoulder, severing the arm entirely.

"_This is their destiny!_" said Rau. "_They led us to the inevitable end!_"

* * *

GENESIS

Athrun fired the Justice's rifle and Fortis beam cannons on a hatch, exposing a tunnel leading into GENESIS. He flew in, Cagalli following him.

"_Athrun, if you do that…!_" she said.

"We don't have any other choice!" he said. "Get out of here now!"

"_Athrun!_"

"Don't follow me!" he said, detaching the Justice's backpack and sending it flying backwards, pushing Cagalli towards the exit.

"_Athrun!_"

* * *

Outside GENESIS

The Freedom's rifle flashed as it flew upwards, destroying a DRAGOON.

"_You even helped bring this about, boy!_" said Rau, firing the Providence's rifle. The shot pierced the Freedom's right arm at the elbow, blowing off the entire arm and Kira's rifle with it.

"So what?!" shouted Kira, combining his beam sabers into a beam staff and flying forward.

Nearby, the Faith, trailing smoke, light, afterimages and debris, flew towards the alignment mirror. All that stood between the Dauntless Angel and her target was a single _Nazca_-class that fired desperately at the Faith.

The Gundam evaded, and swung the Vesica through the destroyer, cleaving it in half. But as it flew for GENESIS once more, the Vesica overloaded and blew up, along with one of the wings.

* * *

Inside GENESIS

The Justice exited the tunnel, arriving near the heart of GENESIS. Athrun glanced about. This would work. He pressed a button, revealing the number pad on which he started to enter the code for the Justice's self-destruct.

"_Athrun!_" came Cagalli's voice suddenly. Athrun gasped and turned to see the Strike Rouge flying out of the tunnel.

"Cagalli!" said Athrun.

"_No, don't, wait!_" said Cagalli, the Strike Rouge stopping in front of the Justice. "_Stop running! The hardest battle… is to keep living!_" The tears in her voice were obvious.

* * *

GENESIS

"This world is still worth protecting!" shouted Kira, flying forward, not caring what happened to him or the Freedom any longer. The beam staff swung, cutting the Providence's right arm free.

The menacing Gundam backed away as the angelic Gundam charged once more. Rau brought his last DRAGOONs into play, firing them on the Freedom. He hit the Freedom's head, wings, and the left chest armor, but Kira didn't stop.

The Freedom's beam staff impaled the cockpit of the Providence.

Nearby, the Faith began to explode, and a silver GuAIZ Experimental Firearms Type crashed into it. The GuAIZ tore off the Exia and grabbed at the cockpit.

Within the Faith, Makoto shut her visor and tore the Black Box free.

In the Providence, Rau's visor shattered, and his mask was torn free as the atmosphere was compromised.

But a smile was still on his face.

_Win or lose…_ he thought. _Live on… my da–_

The countdown for Jachin Due's self-destruct reached zero.

Explosions tore through the space fortress as the firing sequence for GENESIS initiated. A nuclear explosion began in GENESIS and shot out of the weapon as the crippled Freedom pushed away from the Providence. The beam tore through the last of the Gundams that fought against peace, obliterating it, the nuclear detonation catching the Freedom in its wake as the Faith's reactor finally overloaded and the silver-white angel exploded, catching the silver GuAIZ that had crashed into it.

Within GENESIS, the Justice detonated, and the nuclear explosion tore the weapon of mass destruction apart from the inside out.

* * *

Three Ships Alliance Fleet

Those who fought for peace could only watch as a trio of nuclear explosions took place before their eyes, two around GENESIS, one within, consuming the weapon utterly.

Lacus cried out in panic, leaping from her chair and rushing to the front of the bridge, her hands pressing against the glass as tears filled her eyes. Flay felt as though her heart were shattering under the strain, as even more people she cared about were seemingly lost. Elizabeth, standing on the bridge of the _Archangel_, and Louisa, in the cockpit of the Twilight, watched in a terrified stupor as the Gundam piloted by the woman they both loved became the heart of one of those explosions.

They'd won. They'd stopped the insane genocidal attacks of Patrick Zala and Muruta Azrael, saving both the Earth and the PLANTs. But it was a bittersweet victory at best.

Christopher Dante. Mu La Flaga. Yzak Joule. Dearka Elsman. Erik Saharin. Uzumi Nara Athha. Misuumi Taiyonoha. And so many more countless lives had been claimed by this war.

Were Kira Yamato and Makoto Arata really among them?

Suddenly, a voice came over the comm.

"_Attention. I have an announcement for all members of ZAFT and the Earth Forces in this region. At this moment, the PLANTs are preparing to conduct negotiations between the ZAFT and the PLANT Sponsor Nations. Immediately following these discussions, the PLANT Provisional Supreme Council will propose a request for the Earth Forces to cease all combat activities in restricted regions._"

"It's finally over," said Samuel Dante, rising from his chair in the CIC and floating up to the main bridge. "The world is moving towards peace once again."

"Hey. What do you think will happen to us now?" asked Nicol. "I mean, didn't we technically betray ZAFT by fighting alongside the _Archangel_?"

"_Probably. But I don't really care,_" said Saul from the Surge. "_It won't stop me. For Yzak and Dearka… I'll do whatever I have too._"

"_Yeah,_" agreed Shiho softly.

"I think… I'll find a quiet place to live," said Nicol. "Away from war. Somewhere I know I'll never feel the need to kill again."

"Yeah," said Tolle. "That sounds nice." Tolle glanced at Mir before looking away at the obvious pain she was feeling.

On the _Dominion_, Flay stared out into space, Chris's dog tags in her hands.

Natarle glanced back at her.

"You can't give up," she said. "You have to keep living."

"Yeah," said Flay, clutching the dog tags to her chest. "For Chris. I'll keep living."

"Ma'am, we're receiving word from the Alaric Team," said Sai.

"Put them through," said Murrue.

John Alaric's face appeared on the screen. "_It's over… It's finally over,_" he said, breathing a sigh of relief. "_What's your status_ Archangel_, _Dominion_? Do you need any assistance?_"

"We're damaged but we're not in any immediate danger." Murrue paused for a moment before saying the next part. "But… But we lost the Strike, Raven, Buster and Duel."

"_Damn… I'm sorry to hear that,_" said John. "_What about the Freedom, the Justice, the Conviction and the Strike Rouge?_"

"We lost contact with them," said Murrue.

"_Don't worry,_" said John. "_They're out there. Me and my boys will find them._"

* * *

Region of GENESIS

Kira found himself floating in space. Nearby was what remained of the Freedom. He figured he had an hour of air left. Maybe a little more. But that really didn't matter to him at the moment. He thought about all that had happened since Heliopolis. The battles he fought, the people he had killed… and the friends he had lost.

He looked to his side, tears forming in his eyes.

"Where are we? What'll happen, now that we've come through to this time in space?" he asked, his tears floating before his face.

"I don't know…" answered Makoto, blood on the interior of her visor as she, too, cried, the Exia and Black Box, the last remnant of the Faith, floating nearby. "But I believe we will live on." She raised her hand, and pointed to a pair of approaching lights that only she could see before now… but that her brother could now see as well. "For a Future that Never Ends."

Kira smiled and turned to look at the lights to see something unexpected. Birdy was flying towards the two, as though a guide… and behind it, a light, with many more in the distance. As the light drew closer, it grew until it became a familiar form.

The Strike Rouge, its cockpit open, and inside sat Cagalli and Athrun. Both were smiling with tears of joy in their eyes and floating around their faces.

The surviving Children of Divinity couldn't help but smile.

Cagalli jumped out of the Strike Rouge, heading for them. She grabbed Kira, embracing him as the four wept tears of joy and sorrow, and in the distance, six ships and their accompanying mobile suits approached.

"It's our world."


	40. After Phase: In the Valley of Stars

**It's been a long, rough trip, but its finally over. With this epilogue, the story of _Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Dauntless_ comes to an end. However, it isn't the end of the story of the Children of Divinity.**

**Some final words are spoken here. Some explanations are given. And ultimately, it's a tale I hope will be remembered.**

**Before you continue, I wish to say something: thank you. Thank you to everyone who has read this story, who has left reviews, made suggestions, and shown their support.**

**Some special thanks are owed as well: to Akatsuki Leader13, above and beyond all others, for his creation of _Gundam SEED: A Retelling_ and his permission and help for this rehash of his story; to Peloponnese, who always voiced his thoughts and opinions openly and bluntly, pointing out flaws and giving me the chance to correct them; to Kiiroi Senko, my friend who has done what he could to help me, who has been there to speak to me, and who has never shown anything but enthusiastic support for this story.**

**And thank you to all those who had faith in me, that I could do this, that I could make this story work and make it my own in unique ways.**

**This is my final gift to you, the fans of _Gundam SEED Dauntless_: the epilogue of this story, In the Valley of Stars.  
**

* * *

After Phase: In the Valley of Stars

One and a Half Months After the Second Battle of Jachin Due

* * *

The Marshall Islands

Kira sat on the porch of Reverend Malchio's orphanage, staring out at the setting sun. The sounds of children playing filled the air. But another sound began to fill the air, the sound of the twin turbine engine of a Heli. Kira looked up. The two-man craft approached the orphanage, landing on the pier.

Kira stood up as Athrun and Cagalli climbed out of the aircraft. "Lacus, they're here," Kira called into the orphanage.

"I'll be there in a moment," replied Lacus.

Athrun and Cagalli reached the porch. Cagalli embraced her brother in a hug.

"How have you been Kira?" she asked.

"I'm fine," replied Kira. "How have you two been?"

"Alright," said Cagalli. "Repairing the damage done to Orb during the war has been long and difficult. But everyone has been working hard to restore Orb to what it was before the war."

* * *

Allster Manor

Flay leaned on the railing of a balcony in her family's mansion in Orb. By pure chance, it had escaped the invasion of Orb with little damage, unlike many other houses on Onogoro. Flay was wearing a simple blue dress that did little to hide the signs of her pregnancy. Around her neck hung Chris's dog tags.

She had lost much in war. Her home on Heliopolis, her father… and Chris. But there was one thing and only thing she had gained from the war. Her child. Chris's child.

"The tea's ready," Murrue called out from inside the mansion.

Flay turned around and entered the house. After she had returned to her family's mansion, she had offered it to any of the _Archangel_ and _Dominion_'s crews that needed a place to stay. It was too large for her to live in by herself. Murrue, Natarle, Victor and Andy had taken her up on that offer, as had, surprisingly, John.

Flay sat down on chair as Murrue entered the living room with a tray. The older woman set the tray on the coffee table and sat down on the love seat across from her. Murrue poured them both a cup of tea, which they silently drank. They were both still grieving for the losses of the men they loved.

"This is good," said Flay, breaking the silence.

"Thank you," said Murrue before pausing to think of something to say to keep the silence from returning. "Ah… have you chosen a name yet?"

Flay gently stroked the bulge on her abdomen. "No," she said. "Not yet. I honestly don't know were to begin with picking names. Course, I don't even don't even know if it's a boy or a girl."

"Well, you're better off picking one your own," said Murrue. "I had a friend from before the war who was pregnant and asked her friends and family for advice. It was a big mistake. Everyone was bugging her with suggestions on her child's name for a week before she became fed up and told them all to shut up."

Both women laughed. Flay smiled. "I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

Haw Residence

"What will you do?" asked Tolle, staring at the picture of Dearka sitting on Mir's table. "Will you stay here?"

"I'm not sure," said Mir. "Tolle… you know that I still love you, right?"

"Not like that," said Tolle. "Listen Mir, I… I'm sorry. I know it's irrational, but I feel like I'm to blame for this."

"You're right, it is irrational," said Mir. "Tolle… I never even got to tell him how I felt."

"I think… I think he knew," said Tolle. "And I know he felt the same. I'm sure he was thinking of you… right to the bitter end."

"When you thought it was over for you… did you think of me?" asked Mir.

"Yes," said Tolle without hesitation. Mir smiled slightly as tears dropped from the corners of her eyes.

"Thank you," she said. "Then… I'll believe."

* * *

Malchio's Orphanage

Later That Night

The sounds of talking and eating filled the orphanage as Kira, Lacus, Cagalli, Athrun, Reverend Malchio and the children began to eat their dinner. While the children were talking about stuff that normal children talk about, the four teens were discussing adult matters.

"Still, it really is a hard thing to do," said Cagalli as they ate. "Orb was completely ravaged by the war. That's why we can truly understand the foolishness of war and how precious peace is. But there are countries that don't."

"It's those that believe 'If you don't trust the other person, don't lower you gun', isn't it?" asked Lacus.

Cagalli nodded. "Yes," she answered. "I can't help but wonder if the PLANTs are having the same problem."

"All of us must lower our guns or else nothing will ever change," said Lacus.

Cagalli sighed. "Even through we should already understand this…" she said. "It just seems like there are those that just can't, or won't, understand it."

"How is everyone else doing?" asked Lacus, seeking to change the subject.

"Well, for the most part," said Cagalli. "Liz and Louisa seem to have dealt with the tension between them, mostly. I hear Makoto's also been making special plans for something, but I honestly don't know what it is."

"There were Morgenroete crews collecting the remains of the Dauntless," said Kira. "Think she wants to rebuild it?"

"I doubt it," said Athrun. "From what we know about it, the damage was utterly irreparable."

"But it's the last memento of her adoptive parents, so it's understandable that she'd want to recover what was left," said Cagalli.

"What about mom, dad and Canard?" asked Kira.

Not long ago, Canard had sought out the Taiyonohas, just as Makoto had instructed him after their battle months ago. Kira and Cagalli had finally been introduced to their cousin (and adoptive brother, in Kira's case), and Caridad and Haruma had finally been reunited with their long lost son.

"It's been going well," said Cagalli, smiling. "It's one of the really bright spots in everything that's going on for us at the moment. Though it seems Canard has plans to return to mercenary work. Personally, I think he's developed a slight crush on Makoto and is jealous of Liz and Louisa, but that's just me."

"He'll likely visit here soon as well," commented Malchio. "He still feels that he owes a great deal to Prayer."

* * *

Cat's Eye Café

"So… you lied to me," said Victor, sipping his coffee.

"I did," said Shizuka mildly as she sipped her own tea. "The owner is a friend of mine, but Sakura is actually more partial to tea, much like myself."

"I noticed that," said Victor, taking another sip of coffee and sighing contently. "Oh well, she still makes a good cup of coffee."

"I think it has to do with her brother," said Shizuka mildly.

"Hard to believe she runs such a successful business at her age," commented Victor, glancing at the café owner. "She can't be much older than Makoto."

"She isn't," said Shizuka. "But enough about Sakura. I'm curious as to why you stayed in Orb? Didn't you yourself say that you missed the PLANTs?"

Victor shrugged. "Honestly?" he said. "I think it was more the freedom of space combat and my last surviving relative." Victor smiled slightly. "The people of the Alaric Team were my friends… but it's here in Orb that I feel I've found my family."

"Did John follow you?" asked Shizuka. "Or did he want to leave behind the past as well?"

"Both, I think," said Victor. "So… where should our next date be?"

Shizuka smiled. "Take a look around," she said. "Surprise me."

* * *

Malchio's Orphanage

Later

After dinner, Kira had walked out onto the beach, as Lacus, Cagalli and the children cleared the tables, watching debris enter the atmosphere and burn up, leaving trails of light in the night sky.

Even though it had been weeks since Jachin Due, his mind still went back there, to Rau's insane words, and to Chris's death. Both haunted him. Rau's words seemed to tear at what he believed in and expose the dark side of humanity, While Chris's death brought him only sorrow and guilt. Countless times since the battle, he couldn't help but wonder if he could have done things differently, if he could have done something that would have spared Chris his fate.

Athrun walked up to him, pulling him from his train of thoughts.

"It's strange, isn't it?" asked Kira. "I can't help but wonder, why am I still alive? What makes me so special? Why do I still get to be with my loved ones while others can't? Why do I get to be with Lacus while Flay will never see Chris again?"

Memories of Chris pushing him out of the path of the beams and the Raven exploding filled his mind.

"We're all thinking that too, Kira," said Athrun. "I can't answer why we survived while others didn't. Maybe we survived to make sure that such tragedies wouldn't happen again."

* * *

Elsewhere

Lacus and Cagalli stood on the porch, watching Kira and Athrun talk.

"You know, I was amazed that you actually went onto the battlefield," Cagalli told the pink haired girl.

"Really?" asked Lacus.

"Yeah," said Cagalli. "But being out there seemed to suit you."

Lacus smiled. "Is that so?" she asked. "I was just trying to bring an end to the fighting the best way I could."

"Even then, you didn't have to go out on to the battlefield," said Cagalli.

"How could I not, with Kira, Athrun, you and everyone else out there, risking their lives to bring peace?" asked Lacus rhetorically. "I sought to bring about peace, just like the rest of you. So why should I be the one to sit and watch from a safe distance?"

Cagalli nodded. "I see your point," she said. "Perhaps one day, no one will ever have to set foot on a battlefield."

* * *

A few minutes later

Athrun looked up at the sound of footsteps, and saw Makoto walking along the beach towards him and Kira. Knowing the two would want to talk alone, Athrun excused himself as Makoto reached them, and she turned to stare at the sky with Kira.

"I know," said Kira. "Just give me a little bit longer. I'll put it behind me."

"Chris would never forgive you if you didn't," said Makoto. "But I didn't come to talk about putting the past behind us. I came to ask you… what do you think would've been, had we never been caught in the war?"

Kira knew _exactly_ what she was talking about.

"We would have," he answered. Makoto's lips pulled into a tight, thin smile.

"If we hadn't become siblings," she said. "Yeah… I think we would've. Such as it was… I'd begun to love you, Kira."

"I hadn't," said Kira. "But you were important in a way others weren't. I think I'd have felt the same, if I'd never met Lacus."

"I bet they'd have found it funny," said Makoto. "Our parents… no, all those who brought Divinity to life."

"Probably," agreed Kira. "You know, I can't help but think that Le Creuset was right."

"That's because you're not a fool, Kira," said Makoto. "But Le Creuset was. He never allowed himself to see the light in humanity, instead sinking himself into a sea of darkness."

"And it blinded him," said Kira. "Any luck tracking down Hotaru?"

"None," answered Makoto. "Her house is there, but aside from the lack of thick dust, there's no evidence that anyone has ever lived there."

"I see," he said. He paused, curious about one last thing. "Did anyone ever find out about that GuAIZ that saved you?"

"No," said Makoto. "I'm not too worried about it. How have you been holding up?"

"You mean the SEED?" asked Kira. "It can be disorienting, at times, but I'm able to suppress it now, so that helps."

"I guess you weren't born to it," said Makoto. "I doubt you'll ever achieve the Cosmic SEED either, or even that lesser state when I first awakened my own potential. But Kira… we have a special bond of our own. Brother, sister… the bond between us is possibly the most unbreakable of all."

Kira smirked. "You don't believe that," he said. Makoto giggled slightly.

"No, I suppose I don't," she said. "The bonds of love have always been stronger… and I like to think our bonds in that respect are especially strong."

Kira turned around, back towards the orphanage. "Will you be joining us?" he asked. Makoto shook her head.

"No, I have something I need to do," she said, walking away. "See you later, little brother."

"You too, sis," said Kira, walking back to the orphanage.

* * *

ZAFT Military Headquarters

Saul sighed as he stared out at the newly completed and modified _Nazca_-class destroyer making ready to leave port. Aside from the newness, it was visually indistinguishable from its predecessor.

This ship was named the _Einherjar_, and was to take the place of the lost Alaric Team vessel in the new Kessel Team. This ship was where Saul and Shiho would be flying from, under his sister's command.

That hadn't been what he had in mind. But he'd do it, regardless.

"It's a strange reminder of what's been lost, isn't it?" said Shiho, standing next to him. Saul nodded.

"Yzak, Dearka, the original _Einherjar_, and so many more…" he said softly. "I hear my father's gotten them posthumously awarded the Order of the Nebula. Even though they betrayed Patrick Zala, they're still considered heroes."

"… I'm glad," said Shiho. "But I wish they were here."

"We all do," said Saul. "But…"

"Looking at the past is meaningless," said Shiho. "We have to look to the future. I know."

* * *

Morgenroete Inc.

John, Elizabeth and Johanna entered the hanger. As soon as he entered, John's eyes were drawn to a large object sitting in the middle of the hanger.

"So this is the project we're working on," he said, sipping a cup of coffee. "For awhile there, I thought we'd be working on that new Murasame Project."

Johanna nodded as they walked forward. "Nope," she replied. "We're working on this. It's a special request, not a regular project for Orb."

"That doesn't surprise me," he said. "So is this a rebuild or a complete redesign?"

"Well… we could rebuild it," said Liz. "But it doesn't seem quite right to just rebuild it."

"Indeed it doesn't," said Samuel as he and Andy entered the hanger.

Andy whistled. "Well now. I didn't think I'd be seeing this guy again."

"Yeah. The body was destroyed, but the head managed to survive," explained Johanna. "We've been asked to restore the head and have it placed on a mobile suit. We're trying to decide if we should rebuild as it was before, or create a new mobile suit for it, or possibly even use it for a Strike II." As she spoke, the group gathered around the damaged head of the GAT-X302 Raven.

Samuel placed his hand on the Raven's faceplate. "It doesn't matter either," he said. "The Raven will fly again. We'll see to that."

* * *

Elsewhere

"So you're saying we'll need to redesign the Forbidden and Twilight?" asked Louisa, staring up at her machine. On either side of it were the Forbidden and Raider, and the Hellfire Blitz was also stored in this hangar.

"It seems a ban on Mirage Colloid technology is a major agenda of the treaty," said Erica. "Since Nicol's staying in the PLANTs, we won't worry about the Blitz for now. But if you two plan to stay with us, we'll need to modify them."

"That's fine," said Shani. "I've been given a second chance. It's already more than I deserve, and I won't waste it."

"That's admirable," said Erica. "Do you feel the same, Mr. Beur?"

"Clotho is fine," replied the Raider pilot. "Yeah, I feel the same. Besides… until I sort everything in my head out, I've got nowhere else to go, and I don't plan on freeloading."

Louisa chuckled slightly, and both Shani and Clotho smiled slightly—the first genuine smile either had had since they were first subjected to Lodonia.

* * *

Orb Graveyard

Midnight

"Makoto, are you certain of this?" asked Serenity, staring down at her daughter, who was in turn staring at the three graves before her.

Makoto nodded. "Yes," she said. "She died, January 25th of this year with her parents. A ghost endured, but her spirit was finally put to rest when the war ended at Jachin Due. It's as simple as that."

"There's nothing simple about it," said Serenity. "Makoto… we're all proud of you."

Makoto smiled. "I know," she said, touching the gravestones. "I love you, mom, dad… Makoto." She turned to Serenity. "And I love you as well, mom."

With that, mother and daughter turned away from the graves bearing the names Naomi Arata, Ichida Arata and Makoto Arata.

* * *

Aprilius One

She stood before the grave, one among many graves, her long hair and black trenchcoat flapping in the artificial winds.

"You probably didn't expect me to come, did you?" she said softly. "I was there, but I wasn't certain whether or not I should believe you were really dead. I knew you, and I'd hardly be surprised by the knowledge that you merely faked your death."

She sighed. "But… maybe I simply wished that you _were_ alive," she said. "I didn't want you to be dead. As much as I grew to hate you for what you strove for, you were still my father… and I loved you. And I guess I really owe you at least what I've come to give. It was only thanks to you that I was able to save her." She sighed again.

"You died at Jachin," she said. "I suppose it's only fitting, and I like to think that, twisted as it may be, you died happily… or thinking of me. Regardless, I've come to say goodbye…" She reached out and stroked the tombstone gently. "I'm sorry that we didn't get a proper goodbye, father."

She turned and walked away, leaving behind the grave marked with the name Rau Le Creuset.

* * *

**Author's Notes: Wow. This has been a very emotional ride for me, and the completion of this story is honestly one of the happiest moments I've had in a long time.**

**Makoto has left herself behind, and both Kira and Makoto put a time when they could've fallen in love well and truly behind them. It was always my intent that, had things been different, they could've become a couple. This resolution, this affirmation of who and what they are to each other, is perhaps the true point of this epilogue. Everything after that is to help set the stage for things to come.  
**

**I also gave Mir and Tolle what may well be their final moment together (they'll see each other again, but this firmly closes their romance), present a scene between Victor and Shizuka that confirms something I've been hinting at for awhile, and reveal Canard's fate as well.**

**The poll is now closed with a total of 40 voters giving their opinions. The Faith has won, at 21 votes. The Dauntless took second, at 17 votes, with the Hellfire Blitz right on its tail in third at 16 votes. The closest after that were the Guardian, Twilight and Surge tied for fourth, at a mere 7 votes each.**

**Please leave a review everyone!**

**Edit: The sequel story, _Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Serenity_, is now up.  
**

**And now, a sneak peak of what's to come:**

_"The Sincerity is a technological revolution. It's not just a mobile suit. Sincerity's a Gundam. The first in a new generation of Knights and Angels in the service of the White Queen."_ – Setsuna Mizuno Taiyonoha.**  
Sincerity Gundam:**

**Model Number:** MAF-X01**  
Code Name:** Sincerity**  
Unit Type:** Prototype Seven Swords Operations Mobile Suit**  
Powerplant:** Ultracompact Deuterion Drive System**  
Equipment and Design Features:** Sensors, range unknown; Variable Phase Shift (VPS) Armor; Seven Swords Control System; Faith AI System; 2 High-Speed Mobile Assault Wings; Mobile Assault Frame; Hyperion System;**  
Fixed Armament:** 2x Type 90K VPS Long Blade, stored on hips, hand-carried in use, can be combined; 2x Type 73E Beam Saber, stored on wing binders, hand-carried in use, can be combined; 2x Type 73T Beam Dagger, stored on rear waist, hand-carried in use; 2x Type 81V Beam Machine Cannon, fire-linked, mounted in torso; 2x M2M5D 12.5mm CIWS, fire-linked, mounted in head; Type 81S Offensive Shield, mounts retractable VPS Heat Rod, mounted on left arm;**  
Optional Fixed Armament:** Type 83 Kai "Murakumo" Sword Rifle**  
Pilot:** Setsuna Mizuno Taiyonoha

"_I won't let you bring down Junius Seven upon the Earth! Such tragedies must never be unleashed on the world again!" _– Flay Allster**  
Strike Raven Gundam:**

**Model Number:** MBF-X135**  
Code Name:** Strike Raven**  
Unit Type:** Limited Production Custom Commando Mobile suit**  
Powerplant:** Ultracompact Energy Battery**  
Equipment and Design Features:** Sensors, range unknown; Trans-Phase Armor; Raven Striker Backpack/Subflight Lifter, can be separated from main body and used as a subflight system;**  
Fixed Armament:** Dual 52mm Hyper-Velocity Shield Cannon w/Beam Trident Claw, mounted on left arm; 2x Beam Sabers, stored in hips, hand-carried in use; 2x "Armor Schneider" Assault Knife, stored in wrist armor, hand-carried in use; 2x "Igelstellung" 75mm Automatic Multi-Barrel CIWS, fire-linked, mounted in head;**  
Optional Hand Armament:** 57mm High-Energy Beam Rifle**  
Optional Fixed Armament (equipped with Raven Striker ):** 2x 52mm Hyper Velocity Cannon, fire-linked, mounted on underside of wings; 2x M2M3 76mm Machinegun, fire-linked, mounted on underside of wings; 2x "Ahura Mazda" Short-Range Plasma Cannon, mounted on wings;**  
Pilot:** Flay Allster

_"You don't get it, do you? Rose is more than just a Gundam. She's _my_ Gundam. And if you live long enough to do so, be sure to remember that fact."_ – Suiren Kyusai.**  
Rose Gundam:**

**Model Number:** ZGMF-X00S**  
Code Name:** Rose**  
Unit Type:** Prototype assault mobile suit**  
Powerplant:** Ultracompact Energy Battery**  
Equipment and Design Features:** Sensors, range unknown; Variable Phase Shift Armor; Deuterion Beam Energy Supply System, allows for remote recharging of energy with battleship; Twin Mobile Assault Wings;**  
Fixed Armament:** 2x MMI-558 "Tempest" Beam Sword, stored inside shields, hand-carried in use; 2x MA-M941 "Vajra" Beam Saber, stored in knee armor, hand-carried in use; 2x M110 "Orca" Plasma Beam Cannon, stored in wings, mounted over shoulders in use; 2x MMI-M29C "Signum 2" Railgun, folded underneath hips, spread out in use; 2x MMI-GAU25A 20mm CIWS, fire-linked, mounted in head; 2x MMI-RX78B Mobile Shield, connected to arms, can be detached;**  
Optional Hand Armament:** MA-BAR72XE High-Energy Beam Rifle**  
Pilot:** Suiren Kyusai

_"Start another war? Of course we are! We exist only to fight in wars and kill people like you, Coordinator! Like all soldiers do! If you're too weak to understand that than you don't belong in that machine!" _– Treize Zabiarov.**  
Specter Gundam:**

**Model Number:** ZGMF-X74S**  
Code Name:** Specter**  
Unit Type:** Prototype attack mobile suit**  
Powerplant:** Ultracompact Energy Battery**  
Equipment and Design Features:** Sensors, range unknown; Variable Phase Shift Armor; Deuterion Beam Energy Supply System, allows for remote recharging of energy with battleship; Lightwave Pulse Thrusters; Twin Prototype Vernier Boosters;**  
Fixed Armament:** MGX-2230 Long-Range Multi-Phase Beam Cannon, mounted on right shoulder; MMI-558 "Tempest" Beam Sword, stored inside shield, hand-carried in use; 2x "Cerebus" Beam Revolver with bayonet, stored on hip armor, hand-carried in use; 4x MMI-GAU1717 12.5mm CIWS, mounted in head; Shield, mounted on left arm;**  
Optional Hand Armament:** None**  
Pilot:** Treize Zabiarov

**And that's that. Say****ōnara, min'na!  
**


End file.
